Palatine Hill
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 hour (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
