10%

All roads lead to Rome - Part 2

Palazzo Altemps, Palatine Hill, Roman Forum, Santa Francesca Romana, Imperial Forums & Capitoline Museums

By Emma-Jane Browne

August 25^th, 2018

I'm a massive History nerd. Really. So walking around Rome was basically like going to Disneyland.

Despite the massive crowds, I could not not visit the Roman Forum & the Colosseo, and I'm glad I did.

Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3

Palazzo Altemps

Originally built in the 15th century for Girolamo Riario, nephew of Pope Sixtus IV and husband of the formidable Caterina Sforza - seriously one of the most amazing women of History, when threatened with the death of her children, she is said to have grabbed her crotch and exclamed that she had what is needed to make more! - the palazzo is now part of the National Roman Museum and houses several collections of sculptures.

Palatine Hill

One of the Seven Hills of Rome, and the most ancient part of the city - it was home to the original Romans, it is most know for being where the Roman emperors built their palaces - the word 'palace' actually derives from the word 'palatine'.

Roman Forum

The heart of Ancient Rome, and most public buildings, the forum was built on what was once the swamps between the Capitoline and Palatine hills. Drained in the 7th century BC with the creation of the Cloaca Maxima - the ancient sewage - the area gradually became the center of political and religious life until the fall of the Western Roman Empire.

Santa Francesca Romana

Colosseo

The Flavian Amphitheatre, built under emperors Vespasien and Titus in the 1st century, on the site of infamous Nero's Domus Aurea. It was used for gladiator games, animal hunt shows and even mock sea battles.

Imperial Forums

Capitoline Museums

Considered to be the oldest museum of the world, it's history started in 1471 when Pope Sixtus IV donated a collection of ancient bronzes to the people of Rome. The museum, opened to the public in the 18th century, houses ancient Roman sculptures, and medieval and Renaissance art.