History buffs, as well as anybody who loves Italy, will want to start making travel plans.
Four ancient Roman temples and some remains of the site where Julius Caesar was assassinated in 44 BC were opened to the public earlier this week. Until now, visitors could only look down at the site from a busy sidewalk above.
The site, known as the Sacred Area of Largo Argentina, is below ground because Rome has steadily been built up over the centuries by new construction.
“Happy to be able to return to the Romans and tourists the Sacred Area of Largo Argentina in all its beauty,” Roberto Gualtieri, the mayor of Rome, wrote on Facebook. “A real precious jewel made of history, art, and culture, set in the heart of our city, which from tomorrow will be open to the public.”
The temples together are “one of the best preserved remains of the Roman Republic,” said Claudio Parisi Presicce, an archaeologist and Rome’s top official for cultural heritage, according to the Associated Press.
The Temples’ History
The temples — which date back to the 3rd century BC and are designated A, B, C, and D — are thought to have been dedicated to female deities, the Associated Press reports. One is believed to have been built to honor Fortuna, a goddess of chance who was also associated with fertility.
The foundation, and part of a wall archaeologists believe was part of Pompey’s Curia, are behind two of the temples. Pompey’s Curia was a large rectangular-shaped hall used by the Roman Senate at the time Caesar was murdered.
Interestingly, fires in 111 BC and 80 AD destroyed much of the temples. Then, much of the area was paved over by Emperor Domitian.
However, the remains were discovered during excavation ordered by dictator Benito Mussolini in the 1920s as part of an initiative to remake the urban landscape. Mussolini even decreed the site as an important historical site, according to NBC News.
Visitors can now access the site thanks to funding from Bulgari, the luxury jeweler.
“On June 20, 2023, at the conclusion of the works conducted under the scientific direction of the Capitoline Superintendence and made possible thanks to an act of patronage of the Maison Bulgari, the Sacred Area is reopened to the public, with a new path on the catwalk that for the first time allows you to appreciate the structures at close range and in a systematic way,” according to the Capitoline Superintendence of Cultural Heritage.
“The site is accessible to people with motor disabilities or reduced mobility through the use of a lifting platform, while inside differences in height and altitude jumps have been eliminated, making it easy to visit even in a wheelchair,” Capitoline Superintendence of Cultural Heritage continues. “Finally, the site has also been facilitated for visually impaired and blind people with the creation of two large tactile panels and 3D-scanned finds.”
Know Before You Go
In addition to the site itself, visitors will be able to see a display featuring some of the artifacts discovered during the excavation. One is a large stone head of one of the deities honored in the temples, while another is a stone fragment of a winged angel of victory, the Associated Press reports.
You can learn more about the Sacred Area of Largo Argentina, including hours of operation and ticket information, on its webpage.
While you’re planning a trip, be sure to also read our Rome content, including:
