|
Roman Forum (Foro Romano) - Follow the path from the
Coliseum to the Arch
of Titus , which commemorates the capture of Jerusalem in 70
A.D. and is a favorite "framing" shot for thousands of
artists and photographers.
Just to the right begins the
Sacred Way , the surprisingly narrow cobblestone road along
which victorious Romans paraded with their human spoils of
war.
Continue past the Basilica of Maxentius and Constantine,
whose towering vaults Bramante and Michelangelo noted well
while planning St. Peter's.
To the left once stood the
portico of Nero's Golden House , and ahead to the right the
Temple of Romulus , whose bronze doors, framed by porphyry
columns,
served for centuries as the vestibule for the
Church of SS. Cosmas and Damian just behind it. Next
on the right is the Temple of Antonio and Faustina , whose
massive columns convey the original height of the Forums'
buildings, while the surreally floating door to the medieval
church of S. Lorenzo indicates the ground level at the time
it was built.
Across from Basilica Aemilia is the Temple of
the Divine Julius, built on the site of Marc Antony's
oration and the Caesar's cremation.
visitors still
leave flowers here. Continue to the somber brick Curia
(Roma Senate House), the
home of the Roman senate, and the Comitium, where Romans
gathered to argue and vote, speaking from the raised Rostra
at its center.
Turn left at
the Arch of Septimus Severus A stubby platform is all
that remains of the Temple of Concord , dedicated in
367 B.C.,to mark the end of the five-year standoff between
patricians and plebeians (the plebeians insisted on
the right to be elected consuls, and won).
Next to it rise three surviving
columns of the Temple of the Divine Vespasian, the
cheerful successor to the monstrous Nero, whose last
astonished words before dying peacefully were, "My goodness,
I think I am about to become a god!" Behind you, a low roof
shields the altar of Saturn, long thought to honor
Vulcan. Turn down the west side of the Forum, past
the Temple of Saturn , still majestic in its ruined
state;
the 12 columns of the Portico
of the Dei Consentes, representing the 12 Olympian
gods;
and, to your left, the sacred
olive, fig, and vine clustered in the open field (definitely
not the originals). Continue past Basilica Giulia ,
and turn right into Vicus Tuscus to see the mouth of
the Cloaca Maxima , the great drain that still
empties into the Tiber Next to it stands the
Temple of Castor, and behind it the Hall of Domitian,
the Oratory of the 40 Martyrs, and the church of S. Maria
Antiqua , the oldest church in the Forum. Just
past the foundation of the Arch of Augustus , you
will find yourself at the Temple of Vest a
and the House of the Vestals.
 |
