Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
(Mamertine Prison; 06 69 89 61; Clivo Argentario 1; adult €6; 9.30am-7pm summer, to 5pm winter,
last admission 40min before close; Via dei Fori Imperiali)
At the foot of the Campidoglio, the
Mamertine Prison was ancient Rome's maximum-security jail. St Peter did time here and
while imprisoned supposedly created a miraculous stream of water to baptise his jailers.
On the bare stone walls you can make out early Christian frescoes depicting Jesus and
Saints Peter and Paul. Visits are by guided tour only.
Imperial Forums
(Via dei Fori Imperiali; Via dei Fori Imperiali)
The ruins over the road from the Roman Forum
are known collectively as the Imperial Forums (Fori Imperiali). Constructed between 42
BC and AD 112 by successive emperors, they were largely buried when Mussolini bull-
dozed Via dei Fori Imperiali through the area in 1933. Excavations have since unearthed
much of them but work continues and visits are limited to the Mercati di Traiano, access-
ible through the Museo dei Fori Imperiali.
dei Fori Imperiali)
, whose minutely detailed reliefs celebrate Trajan's military victories over
the Dacians (from modern-day Romania).
To the southeast, three temple columns arise from the ruins of the
Foro di Augusto
30m-high wall behind the forum was built to protect it from the fires that frequently swept
the area.
solini's road-building, although part of a temple dedicated to Minerva still stands. Origin-
ally, it would have connected the Foro di Augusto to the 1st-century
Foro di Vespasiano
other side of the road, three columns on a raised platform are the most visible remains of
RUIN
Mercati di Traiano Museo
dei Fori Imperiali
MUSEUM