Capitoline Hill

The Capitoline Hill was a seat of power in ancient Rome and remains a center of government even today. The crown jewel of the Capitoline Hill is its Piazza Campidoglio, which is surrounded by the majestic buildings of the Capitoline Museum. In the center of the Piazza is a statue (a reproduction) of Marcus Aurelius, emperor of the Roman Empire in the later half of the 2nd century. The original of the statue is now in the Capitoline Museums.The statues at the top of the Cordonatta represent Castor and Pollux, the twins from Greek and Roman mythology who are believed to have aided the Romans in a significant battle. Santa Marie in Aracoeli, up the 124-step stairway to the left of the Cordonatta, is the official church of the Italian Senate.

The Piazza reflects its mid -15th century architecture. The stately building in the middle is the Palazzo Senatorio and it features a famous double staircase designed by Michelangelo. On the left is the Palazzo Nuovo and to the right is the Palazzo dei Conservatori, constructed according to plans developed by Michelangelo.


Getting There: About 25 minute walk from Roma Termini.
Timings: For Capitoline museums- Tuesday-Sunday 9:00 to 20:00, December 24 and 31 9:00 to 14:00 (ticket office closes one hour earlier)

Closed on Monday, December 25, January 1, May 1

The Roman and Imperial Forums Area

The Roman Forum, also known in Latin as Forum Romanum and in Italian as Foro Romano, is located between the Palatine Hill and the Capitoline Hill of Rome. Citizens of the ancient city referred to the location as the "Forum Magnum". It is part of the centralised area around which the ancient Roman civilization developed.
The Imperial Forums, mostly to the left of the road as one proceeds towards the Colosseum from Piazza Venezia, were constructed during Rome’s “Imperial” age, when the Emperor ruled the roost. The Palatine Hill, which looms above the Roman Forums on the west, was where the elite lived and it houses the ruins of many palaces and several interesting excavations.

The ruins of the Forums mark the historical center of the Roman Empire and contain the remnants of the seats of power of ancient Rome. If you are expecting to see intact buildings, you will be disappointed. For centuries this naturally swampy area was ignored or sometimes the temples and other monuments were used as a source of materials for other buildings.
Eventually the area filled-in with dirt and debris and the Forums were lost to history. What we can see today has been excavated and in some cases, partially restored. However, the passing of time has done little to destroy the importance and incredible sense of history that one finds at the Imperial and Roman Forums.Many of the Forum's temples date to the periods of the kingdom and the republic, although most were destroyed and rebuilt several times. The ruins within the forum clearly show how urban spaces were used during the Roman age.

The Roman Forum includes a modern statue of Julius Caesar and  major monuments, buildings, and ancient ruins are as follows: Temple of Castor and Pollux(494 BC), Temple of Saturn(501 BC),Temple of Vesta, Temple of Venus and Roma, Temple of Antoninus and Faustina, Temple of Caesar, Temple of Vespasian and Titus, Temple of Concord, Temple of Romulus and Shrine of Venus Cloacina. Besides these, there are more basilicas and arches in the area.

 

Advice: Be sure to buy a guide to the Forums or one of the detailed maps being sold near the entrance. The number of arches, temples, and assorted ruins is large and the layout is complex.

Getting there: It is just opposite to the eastern side of the Colosseum.

Colosseum

The core of ancient Rome occupies an area contained by the Colosseum, the Palatine Hill, the Capitoline Hill and the Imperial Forums. While the important sites of historic interests are covered in the above mentioned area, others are throughout the city.A tour of ancient Rome usually starts with the Colosseum and the adjacent Imperial Forum.
This elliptical amphitheatre is in the centre of Rome and is one of the greatest works of Roman engineering. It withstood many earthquakes and still remains an iconic symbol of ancient Rome.It was commissioned by Vespasian late in 70 AD, opened during the reign of his son Titus in 80 AD. It was then an immense oval-shaped building, nearly two football fields long, over 16 stories high and equipped with 80 entrance/exits, which helped to fill it and flush it very quickly when events ended. The Colosseum was originally equipped with a movable velarium that provided relief from the sun, so the citizens of the Empire could watch in comfort as people. In addition, the Colosseum was constructed in a manner that allowed the stadium floor to be flooded and used to recreate mock naval battles.

The Colosseum was used to host gladiator shows and many other events. One of them is the animal hunt. This involved wild animals such as rhinoceros, hippopotamuses, elephants, Barbary lions, panthers, leopards, bears, Caspian tigers and crocodiles. Facing them sometimes would be animals and sometimes humans. The men who fought these animals were either prisoners or thirsty for fame.

Advice: Please be patient as there will be large lines in front of the ticket counters.

Getting there: It is about 2km from Roma Termini. You can always walk or there is a metro station just below the termini and one outside the Colosseum.

Timings: Buy your tickets at the palatine hill ticket booth to avoid the lines to the Colosseum. This is a combo ticket that will get you into the Colosseum, palatine hill and the forums. The Colosseum is open every day of the year, excluding Christmas Day and New Year's Day, and opens at 08.30 AM; closing times are as follows:

Last Sunday of March to end August, 07.15 PM
September, 07.00 PM
October, 06.30 PM
November to February 15th, 04.30 PM
February 16th to March 15th, 05.00 PM
March 16th to last Saturday of March, 05.30 PM