Ancient Rome - Rome - page 133

Exploring the haunting ruins of the Palatino , ancient Rome's most exclusive neigh-
bourhood.
Coming face to face with centuries of awe-inspiring art at the historic Capitoline Mu-
seums .
Walking up Via Sacra, the once grand thoroughfare of the Roman Forum .
Surveying the city spread out beneath you from atop Il Vittoriano .
Explore: Ancient Rome
Located to the south of the city centre, this area contains the great ruins of the ancient city,
all concentrated within walking distance of each other. They start to get crowded mid-
morning and thronged with tourists until mid- to late afternoon, although in peak season
they can be busy all day. Apart from the big sights, which you can comfortably cover in a
couple of days, there's little in the way of nightlife or after-hours action.
The area has two focal points: the Colosseum to the east and the Campidoglio (Capit-
oline Hill) to the west. In between lie the forums: the more famous Roman Forum on the
left of Via dei Fori Imperiali as you walk up from the Colosseum, and the Imperial For-
ums on the right. Rising above the Roman Forum is the Palatino, and behind that the
Circo Massimo. Continuing northwest from the Circo Massimo brings you to the Forum
Boarium, ancient Rome's cattle market and river port, where you'll find the Bocca della
Verità, Rome's mythical lie detector.
To explore the area, the obvious starting point is the Colosseum, which is easily access-
ible by metro. From here you could go directly up to the Roman Forum, but if you go first
to the Palatino (your Colosseum ticket covers the Palatino and Roman Forum) you'll get
some wonderful views over the forums. From the Palatino enter the Forum and work your
way up to Piazza del Campidoglio and the Capitoline Museums. Nearby, the mammoth
white Vittoriano is difficult to miss.
Local Life
» Exhibitions While tourists climb all over Il Vittoriano, locals head inside to catch an
exhibition at the Complesso del Vittoriano ( Click here ).