Roman Forum

Barb B
Barb B
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Editor Pick

Roman Forum

  • July 1, 2004
  • Rated 4 of 5 by Carmen from Fairfax, Virginia
Roman Forum

If you see the Colosseum, you might as well take a short walk up the hill to see the ruins at the Roman Forum – basically the birthplace of Roman civilization. It’s free of charge to walk through the Forum, and you’re walking on the same walkways that Caesar himself walked.

You enter through the Arch of Titus, built to commemorate the conquering of Judea. Everywhere we turned in the Forum, we saw these beautiful red poppies, which bloomed in abundance under the Arch. As we walked down the hill, we came across the Temple of Antoninus and Faustina – my favorite building in the Forum. It’s columns were massive! The columns in the center of the forum – from the Temple of Castor and Pollux look like they could fall over at any moment, but they’ve been standing there for more then 2000 years.

When you get back up to the top of the hill near the Arch of Titus (with the Forum to your back) walk around to the left side and follow the path until you can go no more. This is one of the best vantage points I found for getting a photo of the entire Colosseum – it’s hard to get back far enough to get the whole thing in.

One of the few things in Rome that is free to enter, a walk through the Roman Forum is worth your time. If you get tired, you can sit in the shade on a fallen pillar that the Emperor Vespasian leaned against when he ruled. Just remember that you’re sitting in the middle of the seat of Roman power – which spread over most of Europe at one time.

From journal We Who Love Rome Salute You!

Editor Pick

The Forum

  • June 17, 2004
  • Rated 5 of 5 by melissa_bel from Hautrage, Belgium
The Forum

The Roman Forum: With Athens’ Acropolis and Gizah’s Pyramids and Sphinx, the Roman Forum is a member of the Holy Trinity of Antiquity remains. It best viewed first from the overlook of the Campidoglio, where Rome’s city hall is located.

If you go behind the building, you will have a complete view of the Forum and further away, the Coliseum. And it is huge. I guess that everybody looking at it is imagining how it must have looked like at the time of Rome’s splendor. It was the center of Roman life, a place of trade, discussion and worship.

The first thing you notice is the Temple of Saturn, whom according to the myth, after being banished by his son Jupiter, found a haven in the area, and offering its help to the king, made the city so rich that period was to be called the Golden Age and was remembered during the Saturnals, a wild holiday time for Romans.

You can also see the Basilica Julia (dedicated to Emperor’s August’s daughter), the arch of Septimus Severus. The remains of the temple of Vesta (easily recognized by its round shape) where the flame of the city was kept alive by a cast of virgin priestress, the arch of Titus where his campaign against the Jews and the sack of Jerusalem is recorded in stone. The list just goes on and on. …

If you want to visit the ground, go down the hill and the entrance is on Via dei Fori Imperiali. The entrance is 3.50 Euros and for that price you get a guided tour.

From journal La dolce vita a Roma.

Editor Pick

Il Foro Romano

  • June 5, 2004
  • Rated 5 of 5 by Grasshopper from Keystone, Colorado
Il Foro Romano

My single most incredible moment was walking behind the Capitoline and catching my first glimpse of the Roman Forum spread out in front of me. From that vantage point, I could see the entire forum with the Colosseum in the distance. It is such an amazing sight and I can't recommend strongly enough that this be your first look at the area.

In the past I have come into the Forum from the Colosseum end and the view is not nearly as dramatic. The Arch of Septimius Severus is one of the most complete structures at the west end of the Forum. Walking under this Arch was such a mind-blowing experience for me. To think that I was following the footsteps of people 2000 years before me! Santi Luca e Martina is next to the Arch and was built in 1635, replacing a medieval church. At the west end of the Forum, eight columns (see photo) survive the ancient Temple of Saturn.

Walking through the forum is an extraordinary opportunity to get so close to the engravings, the details, and the antiquities. It felt amazing to be able to rest awhile on a piece of a column that was a couple of thousands of years old. In April there was gorgeous wisteria blooming everywhere throughout the forum. Also, beautiful old olive trees abound.

From journal Easter Week in Rome

Editor Pick

The Forum

  • October 30, 2003
  • Rated 5 of 5 by JayBroek from Edinburgh, United Kingdom
The Forum

Some years ago, when I lived in Canterbury, I would regularly take a short cut from where I was studying into the centre of town. The short cut just happened to be through the Cathedral grounds and I took great delight in claiming this significant monument to Christianity in England as part of my daily routine. I envy the Romans that pleasure with the Forum. It is a place that I feel would best be appreciated over months and years of casually cutting through, absorbing each detail one at a time and giving each the attention it was due.

The Roman Forum largely fills the space between the Colosseum and the enormous, starkly white marble bulk of the Vittorio Emanuele II monument. Covering five acres, it is what’s left of the very heart of Ancient Rome and its vast empire. Generations of inhabitants have picked off the nicer pieces of stone and marble for building projects elsewhere (it would be fascinating to track all the pieces down) leaving properly ruined ruins.

We shunned the opportunity to take a guided tour (having just got married, I need something else to be commitment-phobic about) in favour of self-navigation. The Forum does not favour you in this respect as few signs or plaques can be found. Most good guidebooks, however, have maps and excellent descriptions of the Forum and you should be able to orientate yourself.

Amongst the low, crumbling walls and stumps of once-proud columns there are some stunning highlights which give you a flavour of the priorities of Ancient Rome and seemed to have formed a template for most civilisations since. Two triumphal arches stand at either end of the Via Sacra; the Arch of Titus forms a magnificent entry point from the direction of the Colosseum while the Arch of Septimus Severus, with its boastful friezes celebrating military power and domination, stands tall at the northern end.

The remains that had the greatest visual impact though, were the isolated rows of Corinthian columns. They manage to appear both fragile and indestructible at the same time - all that’s left of once-grand temples. They make an arresting sight against the blue sky.

The Forum has returned to being a place of bustle and human traffic. Once the centre for trading, worship, politics, public gathering and speaking, it is now packed to the gills with tourists. And rightly so – it is one of the few historic sites of this magnitude that are free to enjoy 9a few euros for a tour). There are some pleasant spots to sit and contemplate – I recommend under the trees facing the Temple of Romulus. If you listen closely you may even hear Caesar’s last cry rising into the still air – or that may be one of the tour guides getting a little over-theatrial in the temple to Julius Caesar.

I shall return and savour this place again.

From journal Rome - I am eternally yours

Editor Pick

The Forum in Rome

  • August 1, 2003
  • Rated 5 of 5 by slabeaume from St. Louis, Missouri
The Forum in Rome

This is the original Roman Forum (there eventually were several) and had been a marketplace, financial center, seat of government, home to the legislature, site of the courts, shopping mall, city park and general gathering place. The word forum generally referred to the open space in any Roman town where business, judicial, civic, or religious activities were conducted. The Roman Forum was the largest forum in Rome and is the most famous.

Even before Caesar's time, the forum was continuously being built. But by the end of the 5th century AD, several attacks on Rome finally caused the end of the Roman empire. The temples, basilicas, and other monuments in the Forum were abandoned and looted. For hundreds of years, this continued until the site became known as Campo Vaccino (the Cow Field). In the 19th century, it became known as the Roman Forum again.

Today, the best preserved monuments are the two triumphal arches. The rest of the ruins are mostly temples or basilicas. What a fabulous place it must have been. What an eerie feeling walking around a place where people had spent so much time thousands of years ago!

We accidentally came upon the forum from Capitoline Hill, where we got a great overview of the forum. The other entrance is across from the Colosseum. It is free and there are drinking fountains throughout the area. We went to see it lit up at night, but it is closed off then. You might be able to see it by night from Capitoline Hill, but we were by the Coloseum and to tired to make the rather long walk.

From journal Rome, "The Eternal City"

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