 | Rome Roman Forum Reviews | Tips 1 - 10 of 502 |  |
 | |  |  | Roman Forum: FORO ROMANO - The heart of ancient Rome. | Tip Rating:  |  |  | |  |
It seems to me that it is vain trying to describe here a place like the Forum when a well-known guide such as the “Michelin Rome” devotes ten tight pages to it!
Best thing to do is to walk around, look in all directions, stop here and there to consult the guide book to find out to what corresponds such section of wall, such columns or ruin. I call that "humer l'air antique" sniff the air of the antic Rome.
My favoured walk starts on the height of the Capitole, then descends the staircases towards Via Sacra and joins the Coliseum. The return is even more spectacular with its superb sights on the Capitol with the back of the Vittoriano monument.
What strikes the visitor is the cluttering of this forum by all sorts of constructions. Already during the five centuries of the Roman Republic this place overflowed of administrative, legal, commercial and religious buildings. From this period not much remains.
It is under the Empire that the Forum fills up with temples, basilica, and triumphal arches dedicated to the emperors of which we see now some vestiges. This glorious period stops with the barbarian invasions of the beginning of 5th c. after J-C.
Rome becomes then the city of the Popes and the imperial buildings are transformed into churches. From the 9th century on the buildings on the forum start to collapse or are stripped off their ancient ornaments. The deserted forum becomes a sewage farm and cows feed on the meadows. During the 16th century the old forum is used as career for the construction of other buildings, of which the St-Peter Basilica!
Finally towards 1800 start systematic excavations by Carlo Fea who are continued during two centuries. It is only in the 20th century that the topography of the heart of ancient Rome is reconstituted such as the tourist discovers it today.
TICKETS FOR THE FORO ROMANO + COLLOSSEO + PALATINO at 9 € (full price) have now to be bought at the ticket offices (biglietterie) largo Salara Vecchia or Via di S. Gregorio 30.
Reduced price: 4,50 € for EU citizens between 18 and 24 years.
Free for EU citizens under 18 or more than 65 years.
Open all days from 08.30 till 1 hour before sunset.
From 25/03 - 31/08 that is 19.00 h; in September 19.00 h; October 18.30 h; 28/10 - 15/02 16.30 h; 16/02 - 15/03 17.00 h.
It is certainly sad for those who used to pass here each day but it was not very logical to make people pay for the Palatine or Trajan market and not for the most important monumental area of Rome.
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| | | | Roman Forum: The Roman Forum | Tip Rating:  | | | | |
You all know the history anyway. No need to repeat it.
A jumble of thoughts the first time I see it. I walk down into it, down the Via Sacra toward the Rostrum. As I touch the stone and the marble around me, thoughts swirling: Julius Caesar might have leaned against this. Cicero's hand might have touched this spot. Marcus Aurelius, Augustus, Scipio, Nero......
Suddenly these people seem very real to me, no longer comic book characters.
I've touched what they touched.
The Forum used to be free, now sadly, you must buy a 10E ticket. (This makes me sad, as I used to walk through the Forum almost every day when in Rome.) The same ticket is good for the Colosseum and Palatine Hill as well. Open every day, from 9 to an hour before sunset. Leave a Comment Address: On Via dei Fori Imperiali, near Via CavourPhone: 06-699-0110Directions: Between the Colosseum, Palatine and Campidoglio
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| | | | Roman Forum: FORUM - Temple of the Vestal Virgins | Tip Rating: | | | | |
The Temple of the Vestal Virgins was home to six Roman women - each became a priestess and attended the eternal flame. These holy women were revered in their time and the only female priests within the roman religious system - given rights and priviliges not even available to the upper class - they even controlled their own finances. Duties included performing rituals in regards to the Goddess Vesta, and baking the sacred salt cake to be used at ceremonies during the year.
There were, however, some drawbacks. If one of the Virgins let the flame go out she faced death. While enjoying many benefits, including a rather luxurious life in the House of Vestal Virgins, punishment for breaking the rules were severe. Breaking the vow of chastity was punished by burial alive. This method was adopted to kill a vestal without shedding her blood. Such executions would take place in the "Evil Fields", or Campus Sceleratus, just outside the Servian Wall. The lover would be flogged to death on the Comitium. While these executions took place several times, it was also an event that wrought various forms of negative omens.
Vesta was the Roman equivalent of the Greek goddess Hesta, who was the goddess of the hearth. Vesta, however, was worshipped both as the guardian of the domestic hearth and also as the personification of the ceremonial flame. Vesta's chief festival, the Vestalia, was held on 7 June. Directions: Roman Forum
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| | | | Roman Forum: A return to the Roman era.: Foro Romano | Tip Rating: | | | | |
The Roman Forum: With Athens' Acropolis, Gizah's Pyramids and Sphinx, the Roman Forum is a member of the Holy Trinity of Antiquity remains. It best viewed first from the overlook of the Campidoglio, where Rome?s city hall is located. If you go behind the building, you will have a complete view of the Forum and further away, the Colliseum. And it is huge. I guess that everybody looking at it is imagining how it must have looked like at the time of Rome's splendour. It was the center of Roman life, a place of trade, discussion and worship. The first thing you notice is the Temple of Saturn, whom according to the myth, after being banished by his son Jupiter, found a haven in the area, and offering its help to the king, made the city so rich that period was to be called the Golden Age and was remembered during the Saturnals, a wild holiday time for Romans. You can also see the Basilica Julia (dedicated by Emperor August to Julius Caesar who was his adptive father), the arch of Septimus Severus. The remains of the temple of Vesta (easily recognized by its round shape) where the flame of the city was kept alive by a cast of virgin priestresses, the arch of Titus where his campaign against the Jews and the sack of Jerusalem is recorded in stone. The list just goes on and on...
If you want to visit the ground, go down the hill and the entrance is on Via dei Fori Imperiali. The entrance is free but if you want a guided tour, it's 3.50 Euros. Leave a Comment Address: Entrances at Via dei Fori Imperiali and Piazza del
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| | | | Roman Forum: The Roman Forum | Tip Rating: | | | | |
For many the Roman Forum will prove to be somewhat disappointing. This is because there is little of the Forum that is still standing after centuries of marauders, looters and people just dismantling the old structures for much needed stone and brick. The Arch of Arch of Septimius Severus is probably the one major structure that is still standing more or less in its original state. As for me, my visit to the Roman Forum proved to a decisive turning point in my personal history as it rekindled by keen interest in ancient history. Virtually the first ancient world ruin that I had ever visited, once I left the Forum my imagination was set afire and I wanted to visit more. Ever since, I have been sure to include a tour of an old ruin of some sort during all my journeys around the world.
For my money, I thought that the Roman Forum looked great when I visited. It had been raining all morning. The rain had stopped and the sun came out just minutes before I paid for my ticket at the kiosk at the Forum's entrance. Once I entered the whole place seemed fresh. Even better the morning rain managed to keep away the hordes of tourist that visit the Roman Forum each day.
For those not exactly sure what the Roman Forum is, it was the commercial, political and religious centre of the Roman Republic and Empire. What you see today, was the focal point of the Western Civilization 2,000 years ago. What you see during your visit are temples, arches and buildings dedicated to various spiritual and political figures of the day. During Roman times, shopkeepers and moneychangers would set up between each structure. The place would have had a certain buzz. How much you would have enjoyed depends on how much you would have liked the crowds as the place, like any market, would have been saturated with people going about their business.
As the Empire begin to collapse in the late 3rd century A.D. so did the fortunes of the Roman Forum. Eventually it would be pillaged by the various barbarians on several occasions. . Leave a Comment Address: Via dei Fori ImperialiPhone: 06-699-0110
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| | | | Roman Forum: An Introduction to the Roman Forum | Tip Rating: | | | | |
The Roman Forum is nothing less than the heart of the ancient Roman Empire. A vast meeting place, all the most important political, business, religious, and social events of ancient Rome happened right here. It contains such magnificent monuments as the Temple of Saturn, the cremation pyre of Julius Caesar, the Arch of Titus, the House of the Vestal Virgins, and the Curia. Surprisingly, many visitors to Rome know nothing of the forum when they arrive, and sadly there is very little in the way of signage to enlighten them once they find it. This is quite possibly the most poorly signed major historical sight in the world, and trying to find your way around with a guidebook can be quite confusing. Hopefully my tips on the individual buildings will help you navigate the forum without too much difficulty. Another great option is to go on a free tour. If you see someone talking loudly and saying 'free tour' alot, don't hesitate to join in. For more info see my Tourist Trap tip.
UCLA has created a very interesting website where you can view reconstructions of all the different buildings in the forum (see link below). If you click on the 'object movie,' it will bring up a 3D reconstruction of the building, which you can tilt and turn to view at any angle you want.
Entry to the forum is free and it is open daily (except on public holidays or when the staff are on strike) Website: http://dlib.etc.ucla.edu:8080/projects/Forum/search
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