4-20-2010 It Happened on the Way to the Forum

Lori here. Today we walked to the Foro Romano (Roman Forum). It was the center of everything Roman in it's hayday. We started off on the Via Sacra (Sacred Road) heading toward the center. It's amazing to see all of the columns and buildings and know that they were once almost completely buried under layers of silt. At the Temple of Julius Caesar, the spot where his body was burned after his assassination, people still leave flowers in his honor. Across the Via Sacra if the Temple of Antoninus Pius and Faustina. The massive structure with its 50 foot tall Corinthian columns has a bronze door, but the stairs are missing.
On the other side of the temple, is the entrance to the church that is currently housed inside the ancient temple. The church is gorgeous inside with a fresco of Jesus and the disciples behind the alter. From inside the church you were able to see the back of the bronze doors. It was amazing to see how far above the church was from the top of the doors. The entrance to the church was at ground level during Michelangelo's time, which was several feet above the bronze doors.
The Temple of Saturn framed the entrance to the Forum's oldest temple, and the wooden statue of Saturn contained the state treasury and the booty collected by conquering generals. The columns at the entrance to Saturn were incredibly massive and knowing that before the archeological digs started only the very top of the columns was visible above ground. When you turned around from viewing the Temple of Saturn there was the Temple of Vesta. Inside the temple a fire burned, and as long as the sacred flamed burned, Rome would stand. The flame was tended by the Vestal Virgins.

Just beyond the Temple of Vesta was the house of the Vestal Virgins. The long central courtyard is still visible, but it is a shame that most the statues and the splendor of the courtyard and Temple have been destroyed with time. Overlooking the house of the Vestal Virgins was Caligula's Palace. It sprawled down Palatine Hill into the Forum. The sheer size of the Palace is just so overwhelming. Standing below the Palace makes you feel miniscule in comparison in size. Back down the Via Sacra and it's time to leave the Foro Romano for lunch.

After lunch from a street vendor it's on to Palatine Hill. Up the road and around the trees and you come to the first set of arches. The 3 arches that are visible are remaining from the aquaduct. The canopy pine trees give this area of the hill a peaceful atmosphere. Continuing up the hill there is a structure that we decided were battlements to protect the emperor, several of which had homes here.
On top of one of the roofs there were brick openings with grates. Apparently, these are chimney-type holes to allow the steam to be release as water was heated for the baths. Romans were all about food. When the Romans ate a feast, they reclined and ate until they couldn't eat any more. After purging themselves of the food, they would return to their original place and start over. A typical meal would last 5 to 6 hours, but could last up to 12 hours. This was a display of wealth to any guests that were attending.

After spending the morning walking on the cobblestones of the Via Sacra and continuing to explore Palatine Hill, up and down cobble stone steps, my feet were starting to hurt. I couldn't imagine walking around and up and down on the cobblestones everyday in sandals like the ancient Romans did. We finally wound our way to the Farnese gardens. The garden was surrounded by oranges trees in blossom and created a wonderful smell upon entering. Just off to the side of the garden was a terrace overlooking the forum, which was part of Caligula's Palace. Just past the Forum is the structure of the Colosseum, and with both in view the site is impossible to describe, it just takes your breath away. It's amazing the amount of excavation and preservation that has been done to both the Forum and Palatine Hill.