One of the most beautiful monuments in the Ancient Rome – extremely well preserved up to now – is the Temple of Portunus (wrongly called of the “manly fortune”) that stands in the middle of the old Forum Boarium – that was the cattle forum venalium of Ancient Rome.
The Pantheon is one of the most famous monuments in the world. It is an architectonic masterpiece and still one of the most evident examples of Roman creative genius. The Pantheon was built in 27 BC by Marcus Agrippa, brother in law of the emperor Augustus, and it is the ultimate Roman temple.
In the heart of Trajan’s Forum, near the Imperial fora, lies the Trajan’s column. It was inaugurated in May in 113 A.D. to celebrate and glorify Emperor Trajan’s victories in Dacia (current Romania). In fact, he conquered the region taking the Roman Empire to its maximum territorial expansion; more than 5,400,000 square kilometres.
Near the Pantheon, within walking distance of via del Corso, in the center of Rome, there is a small square dominated by the ruins of a huge Roman temple, used throughout the centuries for different purposes. We are talking about Piazza di Pietra, and the monument whose story we are going to tell is the temple of Hadrian. Erected in honor of the emperor Hadrian, passed away in 138 AD, under commission of his adopted son and successor Antoninus Pius, this temple must have had considerable dimensions, as we can see from the only side we can still admire.
Near Porta Maggiore, “Larger Gate”, one of the most beautiful gateways of the ancient Aurelian Wall, stands in all its majesty a funerary monument that too many times doesn’t receive the attention it deserves from the people that pass by. Discovered in 1838, when Pope Gregory XVI demolished the defensive towers built during the late Empire (beginning of 5th century) on Porta Maggiore, this weird structure is particularly interesting, almost unique, for being a real document that immortalizes all the steps of bread making from 2 millennia ago!
Although it isn’t really loved by Romans, it’s one of the most famous monuments of Rome. The Altar of the Fatherland – also known as “Il Vittoriano” – it’s built with a very white type of marble (marble of “botticino”) that it’s almost blinding and not really in harmony with the other Romans building which stand next to it. These monuments in fact are built or in travertine or with a way less brighter marble.
They are most likely the most famous steps in the world, if only for their spectacularity that makes them a must-see for people visiting the Eternal City, even if for just a few days. Masterpiece of Baroque architecture, this staircase connects Piazza di Spagna, in the very center of the city, with Piazza Trinità dei Monti, characterized by the façade of the homonymous church.
The Temple of Saturn - erected around 500 B.C. in the heart of the Roman Forum – is dedicated to one of the most fascinating god of the Roman pantheon. The divinity of Saturn (linked to the Greek “Cronus”) was the protector of fields and seeds and with his wife Ops they both protected the harvest.
In the Ancient Rome the “triumph” was an important ceremony with the aim was of glorifying and celebrating the general who achieved a big military victory. The Senate established the triumph with a decree. This honor was granted only in the presence of specific features: to name one, at least 5000 enemies should have been killed in battle.
The Palatine is one of the renowned Seven Hills of Rome, the one on which on 21st April 753 B.C., Romulus founded the so-called “square Rome” after tracing the borders that are still visible, as the tradition wants. At the foot of the hill, near the Tiber, there’s a natural cave called “Lupercale” where Romulus and Remus - children of the vestal Rea Silvia and god Mars – are believed to have been nursed by the she-wolf. The Palatine overlooking the Roman Forum is a treasure chest that witnesses the greatness of the Eternal City throughout Roman history.
