Archaeological Sites
A stay in Rome has to start with a visit to one of the city’s archaeological sites, evidence of the power and prestige that the Eternal City attained over the centuries. In the heart of the city, behind the Campidoglio towards the Palatine Hill, are the Imperial Fora, one of the grandest and most suggestive archaeological sites in the world. A series of monumental squares built between 46 B.C. and 113 A.D., they were the authentic, pulsating heart of the whole city’s political and social activity, but also places destined to amaze all those who came from elsewhere to find themselves surrounded by their magnificence and grandeur. Following Via dei Fori Imperiali, towards the Flavian Amphitheatre, on the left on the slopes of the Quirinal Hill, you can admire Trajan’s Market, an architectural complex of areas covered with brick vaults. This complex was built at the behest of Trajan, from 112 - 113 A.D. with the spoils of his victories in Dacia.
Heading away from the Imperial Fora, along the Via Sacra, we come to the monument that is the symbol of Rome in the world’s eyes more than any other, the Coliseum. The amphitheatre was built by the emperors of the Flavian dynasty between 72-80 A.D., on the very spot where a few years before there had been an artificial lake, one of the incredible attractions of the Domus Aurea, the Emperor Nero’s complex of buildings and gardens, of which the only remains today are some ruins and decorations. In order to create this imposing work, the largest amphitheatre in the Roman Empire, 100,000 m³ of travertine, transported from the Tivoli quarries were used. The amphitheatre could seat over 70,000 spectators who, at the end of events, would leave their seats through a complex and well-organised system of corridors in less than 20 minutes. Spectators could watch combat between gladiators, wild animal hunts and, especially in its early days, naval battles, with the arena being flooded and transformed into an artificial lake.
As well as the magnificence of the Imperial Fora, it is worthwhile remembering that for a tourist who wants to discover the wonders of Rome, the urban framework of the city is permeated with archaeological remains of the utmost importance, which continually remind us of the grandeur and magnificence of the city’s past.
