Roman Forum

The Roman Forum — Foro Romano — was the central public space of ancient Rome for over a thousand years, a rectangular plaza surrounded by the ruins of government buildings, temples, triumphal arches, and sacred shrines that formed the heart of Roman civic, religious, and commercial life. Today the Forum stretches between the Colosseum to the east and the Capitoline Hill to the west, accessed from Via Sacra, the ancient road that once carried the triumph processions of victorious generals. The most prominent structures still standing include the three remaining columns of the Temple of Castor and Pollux (484 BC), the intact Arch of Titus (81 AD) commemorating the sack of Jerusalem, the Curia Julia (rebuilt Senate House), the Temple of Saturn with its eight surviving Ionic columns, and the Basilica of Maxentius with its towering vaulted remains. The Rostra — the speakers' platform where Julius Caesar's body was displayed after his assassination — stands near the Forum's western end. Visitors walk the original Via Sacra paving stones, threading between the ruins in an open archaeological site that requires considerable imagination to reconstruct: interpretive panels and audio guides help fill the gaps. The adjacent Palatine Hill (included in the combination ticket) rises above the southern edge of the Forum and offers elevated views back over the entire site. The combination ticket with the Colosseum and Palatine Hill is valid for two consecutive days and represents far better value than purchasing each separately.