We weren’t quite sure what to expect when we advanced on the Palatine Hill, one of the legendary Seven hills of Rome, but turned out to be a highlight of our visit to Rome, perhaps even more impressive than the Forum Romani which lies in the valley at the foot of the Palatine. In a nutshell, the Palatine was where Rome was first settled around 800 BC and eventually became the site of the homes of the leading Romans, especially the Emperors.

More or less bay accident, we arrived atop the Palatine by the best possible approach– coming from the Coliseum, we went past the Arch of Titus and then up the monumental stairway across from Constantine’s Basilica. The view of the Forum and Coliseum from the top of the stairway is monumental. We walked along the edge of the Farnese Gardens to the corner overlooking the Forum, the location of the best view of the Forum. Immediately below the overlook are the extensive remains of the Emperor Caligula’s Palace.

Octavian, who became the Emperor Augustus was born on the Palatine Hill and his family home became the nucleus of the palaces of the emperors. The Palatine was crowned by the places of Augustus, Claudia, Tiberius, Nero, and several later emperors. Tiberius’ Palace was buried by Cardinal Farnese, nephew of the Pope and one of Rome’s richest men, to create a botanical garden, still in place.

The oldest part of Rome, thought or at least believed to be where the city was founded, is between Livia’s(Augustus’s wife) House and the Temple of Cybele. Visitors today look down over the precipice from the top of the Palatine Hill into the rooms of the first stone houses and a stone cistern.

This side of the Palatine Hill also offers several good view points of the Circus Maximus in the valley between the Palatine and Aventien Hills. Chariot races were held here on the 550 yard long track– see the movie Ben Hur for examples.

Traveling counterclockwise from the entrance stairway, we came to the vast Palace of Augustus, the Official residence of the Emperors. Just behind the Official Residence is the stadium of Emperor Domitian. Experts cannot agree why Domitian build this stadium, or exactly what is was for, but it sure was impressive. The oval track at the right hand end of the stadium was built in the 6th century AD by Theodoric the Goth, one of the barbarians who brought about the fall of Rome.

At the end of Domitian’s Stadium closest to the Coliseum, we followed the sidewalk downhill under the shade trees to see the Baths of Septimus Severus, set against the base of the Palatine Hill. We returned to the top of the Hill and continued through Augustus’ Palace to the path along the Farnese Gardens and descended to the exit near the Coliseum.

If you’re visiting Rome, you cannot miss the Colosseum as well as Palatine Hill. This review will focus on Palatine Hill and there is a separate review for the Colosseum itself. If you plan your time effectively, you can visit both in half a day, which is what most people tend to do because both places are right next to each other. We had bought the Roma Pass the day before at Termini station, which costs €20. This gives someone free access to the first two sights part of the pass (go to the two most expensive places first) and later on, discounts on the rest of the sights. It also gives you free access to the public transport system (bus/metro) within Rome for three days, which is how long the pass is good for, once activated at the first sight you go to. A combination Colosseum + Palatine Hill ticket costs €11 which isn’t cheap compared to other places.

Tip: Go to Palatine Hill first because there are barely any lines to get a ticket. When we showed up to Palatine Hill, there was no one in line. Palatine Hill is absolutely beautiful and a great spot to take photographs. The grounds are lush with greeneries, orange groves and beautiful flowers. It is said that Palatine Hill was where Romulus decided he would build the city of Rome. This place was the home of important Romans such as senators and politicians along with their families. The wife of Emperor Augustus, Livia, was said to occupy a house in Palatine Hill as well. You’ll be able to watch archaeologists work in certain dig sites around Palatine Hill, giving you an up-and-close feel of Ancient Rome. Estimated time to walk around Palatine Hill is 1-2 hours depending on a person’s taste and speed but it may be less than that for certain people. Of both Colosseum and Palatine Hill, I much preferred Palatine Hill because of its beauty and simple nature. The ruins are absolutely amazing and more personal because it was where the affluent people resided thousand of years ago!

I would absolutely recommend Palatine Hill to anyone, especially families who have children. The crowds are smaller, the grounds more kinder and there will be nooks and crannies for children to enjoy. When you’re done roaming Palatine Hill, just head on over to Colosseum or just stroll the busy streets surrounding both sights.

There's a reason Augustus chose this site as his home base. The Palatine hill gets the cool breeze in the summer, lots of sun in the winter and a lovely view all year long. You can escape the crowds of the city here and really enjoy some peace and quiet. In the cooler months it remains astonishingly green and in the warmer months, there are wildflowers everywhere. It's the perfect spot to wander from rubble to rubble, picnic, and imagine the Emperor's palace, courtyards and gardens. There's a tiny museum, housed in a former convent, of artifacts found on the site, including statues, busts, wall hangings, and frescoes. This site also affords one of the best unobstructed views of what was once the Circus Maximus (now used as a dog run!).

I think that many people don't notice this part of the Roman Forum or maybe they just don't want to pay extra. To go into the Palatine Hill you have to pay 12.000 L, but it is well worth it.

The day I went to the Forum it was incredibly crowded as I'm sure it is every single day(and for a good reason). So going up to the Palatino was a nice change of pace.

You feel like you're entering someone's terrace and garden...From the terrace of a house you can see the entire Forum. It's quite a breathtaking view! And what made it even more special is that I had the whole terrace to myself(later some people did come, and so I moved on). You start imagining people walking through the streets and gardens. You can almost see the people and hear them laughing(and before you say anything: I'm not crazy!).

But there is so much more to the Palatino. You hear the water falling; you go up and down stairs, through gardens, palaces and houses(well, the ruins, but just the same)...It's like a maze and you feel like you're the first person to discover it, because there is simply no one around you...It's quite scary sometimes, because you can find yourself in some really dark rooms.

To get there: Take Metro A to Colesseo. You could either enter from inside the Forum(Via Sacra) or from Via di San Gregorio, which is just outside the Forum .