Curiosities of ancient Rome (Places)

The insula was built at the turn of the 1st and 2nd centuries CE and was later rebuilt many times. It is located at the foot of the Capitoline Hill, from Via del Teatro di Marcello, and is perfectly visible to everyone heading from Piazza Venezia towards the monumental stairs leading to Piazza dell Campidoglio. Today, only three floors of the tenement house protrude above the street level – the second and third floors, as well as a small part of the fourth floor. The ground floor and first floor are located in a deep excavation and can only be seen by leaning over the railing (be careful!). Unfortunately, only the second and third floors can be visited. The rest are closed and even with a reservation it is impossible to see them.

Colosseum is such an overwhelmingly monumental monument that few people pass by it and pay attention to other remains of the ancient Roman world that are located nearby. Today’s post will be devoted to one of them – modest, but extremely interesting ruins, which almost everyone passes by with complete indifference. You will find them on the north side of the square where the Colosseum stands. These are strange, evenly-spaced brick structures placed along the sidewalk at the foot of Oppio Hill.

Rome today still hides many secrets, and visitors to this city can encounter evidence of its former power at every step. The impressive Colosseum or Pantheon, evidence of ancient technical thought, proudly towers above the crowds of tourists. However, some places offer almost intimate experiences and contain the pure spirit of antiquity. For just such an experience, we can visit the house of Octavian Augustus himself.

Forum Romanum is a place where every stone tells a story. Today I will tell you about one of the most inconspicuous relics of Roman civilization that can be found in the Forum – the shrine of Venus Cloacina.