The Mouth of Truth

In the portico of Santa Maria in Cosmedin there is a large marble disc with a bearded face — probably once a Roman drain cover or fountain. Nearby stand two of Rome's best-preserved ancient temples, in the Forum Boarium.

Did you know: Legend says the Mouth bites the hand of anyone who lies. Its most famous scene is in “Roman Holiday” (1953), when Gregory Peck pretends to lose his hand in front of Audrey Hepburn.

✦ The legend: The marble mask, in medieval legend, bites the hand of anyone who swears falsely. A story told for centuries adds the sequel: a woman accused of adultery arranged, before the ordeal, for a stranger to embrace her in public, and so could swear she had never been in anyone's arms but her husband's and that man's. Her hand came out intact.