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.