Roman Forum and Palatine

For over a thousand years this was the political, religious and commercial heart of the Roman world: here orators spoke, triumphs were celebrated, justice was administered. You walk among the Curia, the arches of Septimius Severus and Titus, the House of the Vestals. Above it, the Palatine: the hill where Rome was born and where the emperors later lived.

Did you know: One ticket covers the Colosseum, the Forum and the Palatine: allow half a day and start with the Palatine, which is almost always quieter. Bring water and a hat: there is barely any shade on the Forum.

✦ The legend: In the middle of the Forum lies the Lacus Curtius, and legend tells why. A chasm opened in the ground and the soothsayers said it would close only on receiving what Rome held most precious. The young Marcus Curtius understood that this was the courage of her citizens: armed and on horseback, he rode into the abyss, and the earth closed over him.