THE COLOSSEUM AND IMPERIAL FORA
This rich archaeological zone, rudely intruded upon by Mussolini’s Via dei Fori Imperiali, contains some of the most grandiose and noteworthy of Rome’s ancient remains. Dominating the area is the mighty shell of the Colosseum, constructed in 72–80 CE under the Flavian emperors and originally known as the Flavian Amphitheater. The Comune di Roma is constantly working on excavating the area and new discoveries are made every year.
NEED TO KNOW
Colosseum: piazza del Colosseo; www.coopculture.it; open 8:30am–1 hr before sunset daily; closed Jan 1, May 1, Dec 25; adm $13.50 (includes the Palatine & Roman Forum); reduced $8.50; free for under 18; free for all first Sun of the month
Trajan’s Market: via IV Novembre; www.mercatiditraiano.it; open 9am–7:30pm daily; closed Jan 1, May 1, Dec 25; adm $17; reduced $15; free for under 6; free for all first Sun of the month
Mamertine Prison: clivo Argentario 1; 06 698 961; www.tullianum.org; closed for restoration through 2019
- A friendly place for a light meal is Caffè Valorani at Largo Corrado Ricci 30.
- Student guides at the Colosseum work for tips and bring the place to life.
- Via dei Fori Imperiali is pedestrianized to let visitors walk around the site.
Area Guide
Allow 3 hours to explore the site and expect to stand in the line for the Colosseum. The Forum of Augustus can be viewed from Via dei Fori Imperiali.
Original Plan of the Imperial Fora
1. Trajan’s Forum and Column
Trajan’s Forum left all who beheld it awed by its splendid nobility. Now cut off by modern roads, all that stands out is the magnificent column, commemorating in fine graphic detail the emperor’s victories in what is now Romania. Access to part of it is through Trajan’s Market.
2. Domus Aurea
A result of the mad emperor Nero’s self-indulgence, this “golden house” was the largest Rome ever saw, yet it was for amusement only. It covered several acres and had every luxury. Currently closed for restoration.
3. Trajan’s Market
The emperor and his visionary architect, Apollodorus of Damascus, built this attractive, very modern-looking shopping and office mall in the early 2nd century CE. There were 150 spaces in all, the top floor utilized by welfare offices, the lower levels by shops of all kinds.
4. Mamertine Prison
Legend holds that Saints Peter and Paul were imprisoned here. Prisoners were dropped down through a hole in the floor and the only exit was death, often from starvation.
5. Colosseum
Built by Jewish slaves, this magnificent structure was where the Imperial passion for bloody spectacle reached its peak of excess. When Emperor Titus inaugu-rated the amphitheater in 80 CE, he declared 100 days of celebratory games, some involving the massacre of 5,000 wild beasts, such as lions. This slaughter-as-sport was finally banned in 523 CE.
6. House of the Knights of Rhodes
This 12th-century priory was owned by the crusading order of the Knights of Rhodes. Inside are the original portico, three shops, and the Chapel of St. John.
7. Arch of Constantine
This arch marks the victory of the first Christian emperor over his rival, Emperor Maxentius. Yet it is mostly a pastiche of pagan elements taken from several earlier monuments—the beautiful hunt-scene roundels come from a temple dedicated to Emperor Hadrian’s male lover, Antinous.
8. Forum of Julius Caesar
The first of Rome’s great Imperial Fora. Caesar’s line, the Julians, traced their ancestry back to Venus herself, so he erected the Temple of Venus Genetrix in 46 BCE and placed there statues of himself and his great love Cleopatra, the queen of Egypt.
9. Palazzo Valentini
In 2005, two Imperial Roman villas retaining a spa bath, courtyards, and traces of frescoed walls and mosaic floors were found below Palazzo Valentini (Foro Traiano).
10. Forum of Augustus
Julius Caesar’s successor made the focus of his forum the Temple of Mars the Avenger, identified by the broad staircase and four Corinthian columns.
