A stroll through the suggestive and impressive ruins of the Villa of the Quintili, surrounded by the Roman countryside, which inspired the travelers of the Grand Tour (XVIIIth century) as well as several paintings and engravings. The Villa of the Quintili was so huge that in past centuries it was thought to be a city and for this reason called “Old Rome”. Only in 1828, after the discovery of lead fistulas with the inscription “Quintilii Condianus et Maximus”, it was understood that the Villa once was the property of the Quintili. They were two brothers from a noble family of ancient tradition, who lived in the second half of the second century AD. They were consuls in 151 AD under the Emperor Antoninus Pius, and held important positions in both Greece and Asia under Antoninus Pius and Marcus Aurelius. Their wealth and good fortune aroused the greed of the Emperor Commodus, who in 182 AD accused them of conspiring against him and as a result he had them killed. He took all their assets, including the Villa. The Emperor enjoyed staying at the Villa for long periods of time and soon started renovating the existing building and adding new structures, turning the Villa into a real countryside palace. During the tour we will walk through the ruins of this magnificent suburban Villa, whose access was originally on the Appian Way, “queen of the Roman highways”.
We will start by crossing the “fosso dello Statuario”, so named because of the discovery of several marble statues now displayed in museums around the world. From this point we will already see the immense Villa’s private thermal baths. Then we will enter the reception rooms, decorated with wonderful mosaics and well preserved coloured marble. We will also see the ingenious thermal baths’ heating systems, the remains of gardens, reservoirs, the private apartments, a nymphaeum(transformed into a fortress in the Middle Ages), and even a race course. Finally we will walk on the Appian Way and see the legendary Horatii and Curiazi burial mounds, and the “Tenuta di Santa Maria Nova” in the background.
Not to be missed is the Antiquarium, with an exhibition of statues (in particular a large statue of Zeus and a headless statue of Niobe), reliefs, coins, fragments of wall paintings and architectural decorations.
The Flavian Amphitheater, the most imposing monument in the Roman world, was built by Flavians emperors on the site where the artificial lake of Nero’s Golden House once stand. They intended to renstitute to the Roman citizens the places that Nero had confiscated after the great fire of Rome in 64 AD. The name Colosseum was used for the first time during the Middle Ages, as it stood right next to the colossal statue of Nero. 35 meters high. The construction started under Vespasian, but was completed by his son Titus in 80 A.D. Suetonius wrote that inauguration lasted 100 days, during which people saw venationes (staged hunts between men and animals), naumachias (naval battles) and battles between gladiators: over 5,000 animals were killed on that occasion.
The building is elliptical in shape and it has 4 levels, almost 50 meters high, There are 80 arches with Tuscan, Ionic and Corinthian columns. The arches of the second and third order housed huge statues, that not longer exist. The fourth order consisted of Corinthian pilasters, with boxes and brackets that held the “Velarium”, a sliced linen tarpaulin, moved as necessary by a special department of sailors in the fleet of Cape Miseno, to protect the audience from the sun.
Admission to the Colosseum was for free, because the performances were public, but places were assigned according to the social status. There were the Imperial box, 600 personal seats for Senators (it is still possible to read the name of last senators hosted here), seats for horsemen, Vestal Virgins and for the major priestly colleges, for the magistrates, for young people and their teachers, for guests and foreign ambassadors and finally, in the higher places, for the common people.
The arena was a wooden platform covered with sand (hence the name “sand”, “arena”). The ancient sources wrote that (before the construction of the underground floor) also naval battles took place inside the Colosseum during the inauguration. The underground floor was completed under Domitian and hosted service tunnels and elevators, so that spectacular trees, artificial hills, beasts through a complex system of winches, ropes and hoists suddenly appeared on the arena from trapdoors.
The shows included venationes and death sentences (slaves were crucified, violators of tombs were staked and thrown to wild beasts). But the clou of the day where the fights between gladiators, of course.
The editor (ie. the organizer of the games) chartered gladiators by a lanista (a sort of contractor), regardless of expense: it was too important for him to grab the hearts of the people in the upcoming elections. Romans liked to bet, so imagine the area around the Colosseum full of astrologers, magicians, fortune-tellers who suggested to the public which gladiator would win, street vendors and curious people who thronged to see never before seen exotic animals (elephants, giraffes, hippopotamuses). The women went crazy for their favorites. Juvenal wrote that Eppia, a senator’s wife, fled to Africa with a gladiator. The most important battle today will face a retiarius (almost naked, armed only with a trident and net) against a secutor (armed with a short sword, an helmet and an armor). The tension of the gladiators increases; they are waiting for their turn in the underground floor of the Colosseum, and can clearly hear the shouts of more than 70,000 people crowding the cavea. Now the trumpets send their signal: it’s time to enter the arena.
The audience goes wild, but when Emperor nods his hand the terraces dumb. Gladiators say the ritual phrase to the emperor: “Ave Caesar, Morituri te salutant” (Hail, Caesar, those who are about to die salute you). And the battle can begin. Today the bet is high: after years spent in the arena, the winner will receive the “rudis” (the wooden sword which means freedom for him). The fate of the defeated will be decided by the audience, that will shout the word “missum” (spare) or “jugula” (cut his throat). In any case, if not survive, he will receive a funeral with full honors. Ludi gladiators were banned several times during Christian era. Under Emperor Honorius, in the fifth century, the monk Telemachus was killed by a raging crowd because he was trying to ban a fight between gladiators. After 523 A.D. there are no other shows: the curtain brought down on the arena of the Colosseum. Travertine blocks and metal nails became building material; for over 1500 years the amphitheater suffered despoliations, earthquakes and invasions. Silence was broken only by the apocalyptic prophecy of the Venerable Bede monk: “When the Coliseum falls, so will Rome; when Rome falls, so will the world.“
Details
1.5 hours (only Colosseum); 3 hours (Colosseum and Roman Forum)
archaeological area
entrance ticket not included (the ticket is cumulative and includes Colosseum, Roman Forum and Palatine Hill)
Unesco heritage reservation is absolutely recommended in order to skip the line. On request you can book a special tour which also includes the underground levels and the third tier
During this visit we will walk among the huge ruins of the ancient Rome’s pulsing heart, a strategic meeting point between people located near to the natural ford of the Tiber at Isola Tiberina, between the Palatine and the Capitol hills: Here we will find evidences of more than two thousand years of history, enclosed in a very little space.
We will discover an archaic necropolis, dating back to the area where the hole was still an inhabited swamp, before reclamation which tradition attributes to the dynasty of the Etruscan Tarquin. We will pass next to ancient inscriptions, engraved in an archaic Latin with curses at the time of the seven kings of Rome on the black stone.
Then we will find evidence of the Roman conquest of the Mediterranean and the progressive enrichment of this city, which became the capital of an huge empire. We will continue our journey through floors, monumental areas, magnificent marble temples, like the Temple of Vesta (who hosted the sacred fire of Rome) and the adjoining House of the Vestal Virgins; the Temple of Castor and Pollux, the Temple of Antoninus and Faustina, the Regia, the Golden Milliarium (symbolic place that represented the exact center of Rome, with marks containing distances from major cities of the Roman Empire), the Rostra (where the speakers hurled invectives against their political enemies).
We will visit the Basilica Julia and the Basilica Emilia, where justice was administered. On its steps old hands lazed around and drew signs to play dice. We will see two great triumphal arches: the first one was a witness of the Temple of Jerusalem’s destruction by Titus, whereas the second commemorated the conquest of Mesopotamia by Septimius Severus, two centuries later.
Then we will see the Curia (the place where the Senate meetings took place), the Temple of Caesar (turned into a monumental site after Julius Caesar’s funeral.)
Imagine the triumphal processions led by victorious generals, between two wings of crowd, from the last stretch of the Via Sacra to the Capitol Hill, where they used to sacrifice outside the Temple of Jupiter Optimus Maximus.
Finally we will come to the Basilica of Maxentius (which actually was completed by Constantine after his victory over his rival in the battle of Ponte Milvio). Its immense proportions and its iconography were ahead of the medieval and Byzantine art.
Details
2 hours (only Roman Forum); 3 hours (Roman Forum and Colosseum or Roman Forum and Palatine Hill)
archaeological area
entrance ticket not included (the ticket is cumulative and includes Colosseum, the Roman Forum and the Palatine Hill)
Unesco heritage reservation is absolutely recommended in order to skip the line
This time we will discover the Palatine Hill, in a journey where history and legend are intertwined, and archaeological findings confirm Roman historians tales and foundation myth of Rome. Our itinerary starts from the slope that leads from the Arch of Titus to the Orti Farnesiani. From up here, we can admire a magnificent overview on the entire Roman Forum’s area before continuing our tour. We will pass by the ruins of the temple that Ancient Romans devoted to the Magna Mater, after having consulted the Sibylline books in an attempt to recover grace of the gods, who seemed lost during the Second Punic War, while Rome suffered heavy defeats by Hannibal.
This temple housed a mysterious black stone rained down from the sky (perhaps it was a meteorite). Next, the scales of the mythical giant Caco, killed by Hercules because he had stolen the oxen, and the place worshiped by the Romans as Romulus’ hut. If we are lucky, we will enter the House of Augustus, recently returned to the public after years of excavations. Here we will astonished by colors and the original decoration of the study and the bedroom (Suetonius tells us that Augustus slept in this room continuously for more than 40 years). After we enter the house of Livia, also rich in mosaic floors and mural.
We will come out to visit the Domus Flavia, the imposing ruins of the peristyle, with its octagonal fountain, the Basilica and the Royal Hall. Looking at the ruins scattered all around us, mentally riconstruct the splendor of imperial residence and imagine emperors and their guests enjoying finding a nymphaeum into the Domus Augustana during the summer heat. Imagine even hundreds of guests who attended the horse races at the stadium, daily life and official ceremonies that took place in other rooms of the imperial palace. Finally we will go towards the arches of Septimius Severus, where you can admire another unforgettable view on the Circus Maximus.
Details
1.5 hours (only Palatine Hill); 3 hours (Roman Forum and Palatine Hill)
archaeological area
entrance ticket not included (ticket is cumulative and includes Colosseum, Roman Forum and Palatine Hill)
Unesco heritage reservation is absolutely recommended in order to skip the line
After the victorious Dacian wars (in modern Romania), at the beginning of the second century AD the emperor Trajan commissioned the architect Apollodorus of Damascus to build the most magnificent Forum, the Forum of Trajan, characterized by the presence of the Column of Trajan, two libraries, the Basilica Ulpia and the square itself. The area was almost completely occupied by other Imperial Forums (the Forum of Caesar and Augustus, the Temple of Peace and the Forum of Nerva), the architect devised a ploy to get the space needed for construction of the new forum: it was cut the saddle which joined the Capitol to the Quirinale (to a height equal to that of Trajan’s Column).
The space between the Forum of Trajan and the last slopes of the Quirinal was used to build the so-called “Trajan’s Markets”. They are an architectural complex, made by using the flexible construction technique of brick. It uses all the available space made with the cut in the Quirinal Hill and inserts environments variously arranged, on the six levels of the monument. This articulation of the environments was able to provide a gradual transition from curvilinear determined exedra of the Forum of Trajan in the straight section of the surrounding urban fabric. Trajan’s Market were mostly covered by vaults, with simple barrel vaults, with semi-domes which cover the larger environments, up to complex system covering the Great Hall, with six vaults.
The presence of numerous tabernae, in particular along the external routes, is not necessarily indicative of a commercial function of the complex: even the streets flagstone which constitute the external routes are in fact mostly only accessible by stairs which exceed the differences in height and therefore chariots could not have enough space for the transportation of goods. The Markets of Trajan were intended to be a sort of “multi-purpose center,” where they carried out public activities especially administrative.
The special features of this area are its constant reuse and transformation: they were the first administrative center of the Roman Forum, then noble residence, then a military fortress and a convent. Today it host the Museum of Imperial Forum, which contains fragments of their architectural and sculptural decoration and multimedia reconstructions of impact.
One last thing: when the emperor Trajan died, the urn containing his ashes (unique among emperors, under whose principality the empire reached its greatest extent) was placed inside the pomerium, right at the base of the column.
Nestled between the neighborhoods of Cinecittà, Appius Claudius and the Fourth Mile (on the Via Appia Nuova), and crossed by the Via Latina, the Parco degli Acquedotti area is what remains of a portion of the Roman countryside, once connected the Alban Hills to the city gates. There is a green lung with the ruins of the imposing arches of the remainder of the water distribution system, which included 11 aqueducts (6 of them passed in this area) and carrying water to the fountains and public baths that the city was equipped, and of which the Roman engineers were justifiably proud. The aqueducts remained in operation continuously for 850 years, until they were cut during the Gothic War (in 537 A.D.) and became silent witnesses of the greatness of Rome and then obligatory stop on the Grand Tour that European intellectuals were in Italy in the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries. To get an idea of the magnitude of the work accomplished by the ancient Romans, just think that the sixth century and over a thousand years to their needs Rome used the unhealthy waters of the Tiber, and only at the end of the sixteenth century, Pope Sixtus V build a new aqueduct.
Interesting and exclusive tour of Monte Testaccio, an artificial hill over 50 meters high built on the left bank of the Tiber River, downstream of the Forum Boario and the Tiberina island. It was a real dump of antiquity, composed of the remains of vases from the end of the Second Punic War and the imperial oil transported to Rome (in ancient Rome, oil was used for cooking as well as for lighting and massage in the spa).
The amphorae were loaded for trade in the origin territories, They were placed on large vessels that reached the port of Ostia. From there, they were transferred to smaller barges, which travelled back to the Tiber with the haulage technique (ie using ropes pulled by oxen) and dumped into the large port of Ripa Grande (the Emporium).
Archaeologists have recovered a lot of information by studying the chemical composition of the amphorae and studying the red inscriptions which were placed between the loops. These inscriptions were a real quality control and they indicated, a little as in our days, the origin of the oil (So we know it came mainly from Betica, corresponding to today’s Andalusia), the producer, the buyer, the weight and even the year of production (indicated by the names of the consuls in office).
We shall be less ambitious than the archaeologists and we will content ourselves, so to speak, with a sensorial journey. So, once we cross the gate entrance, it is impressive to see the expanse of amphora of sight all around us and especially to hear the cracking of the fragments under our feet as we climb the hill to the summit. From here, we enjoy an unusual view of Rome today, our imagination will go to the Rome of 2000 years ago. Back to life on this extraordinary hill, the proliferation of businesses and people, slaves and livestock, the purchase and sale of oil and the bustle of carts carrying this old landfill, ready to be sealed with layers of limestone, the remains of amphorae impregnated with oil and unusable.
Details
1,5 hours
archaeological area
entrance ticket not included
special opening (please let me know a few days in advance, because we need to ask for a special permission to the superintendence)