annhig

Rostra - the updated City of /rome map shows the entrance to the Forum/palatinate that I'm talking about along the Via di san gregorio [the extension of the via cello vibena] but the wrong side of the road - but it's obvious when you're looking at it what it is.

there are no signs to it though, which makes me think it's quite new, and it certainly looks it.

the other map seems to me to be showing at no 41 the old entrance that we used 3 years ago which is now the exit - and nothing is shown along the via di san gregorio which is where the new entrance is.

yet more confusions for those visiting the forum - we all need paradise lost in our pockets!

A_Brit_In_Ischia

Having ourselves unwisely tried one of the old entrances, only to find it no longer in use once we got there, perhaps these will be of assistance?

The two ticket offices:

- Via di San Gregorio 30.... Go here if the Palatine Hill area first! On the road between the Colosseum and Circus Maximus, with an enormous gateway facing outwards that's all but impossible to miss (dating, the inscription suggests, from when it was the entrance to the gardens of the Farnesi family). Luckily the queue there isn't always this long:

http://www.pbase.com/isolaverde/image/132465220

- Largo Salara Vecchia.. into the Forums! Not shown by GoogleMaps, but located on the Via dei Fori Imperiali, at its junction with Via Cavour....

http://www.pbase.com/image/149130420

... and likewise, not usually that busy!

.....................................

Last November, at the northern / western end of the Forum area, the exit near the arch of Septimus Severus, which comes out by the Mamertine, was certainly in use...

There were also people climbing the long slow ramp up towards the Capitoline - perhaps they were in for a disappointment, or maybe just going for the view?

Peter

annhig

There were also people climbing the long slow ramp up towards the Capitoline - perhaps they were in for a disappointment, or maybe just going for the view?>>

Peter, I've wondered where they were going myself!

one day I'll go up there and let you know what I find.

A_Brit_In_Ischia

Ann, hi!

Almost certain that we've used the entrance / exit gate that's up there - perhaps back when the Forum was free?

The road goes near the Tarpeian rock, to then lead past the circular church of San Teodoro al Palatino

http://www.pbase.com/image/139905372

and eventually this one...

http://www.pbase.com/isolaverde/image/64451173

Looks as though it must have been in Feb 2000 - and, with the synapses reconnecting now, I'm pretty sure we passed yet another exit while on that walk... somewhere along Via Foro Romano, before getting to either church.

That's how we found the Trattoria San Teodoro, now I come to think of it!

Peter

crazyfamilyof4

bookmark

annhig

Peter, the first time we visited [8 years or so ago] we used the entrance at the "top" of the via foro romano [ie at the Capitoline Hill end] to get into the Forum, which as you point out, was free at that time. Whilst in the forum, we came across the entrance to the Palatine hill, and bought our Palatine/Colosseum tickets there, and after walking around the Palatine Hill [I think that the museum is very interesting] felt very smug as we walked past all the people who were queuing to get into the colosseum.

the 2nd time, about 3 years ago, the Forum had been absorbed into the colosseum/Palatine ticket and the entrance we had previously used was closed, but we found another half way down the via foro romano. We had to queue for a bit [20 mins?] but the queue at the colosseum would have been a lot longer, and we still got that smug feeling....

this time, our group leader had booked tickets to the Colosseum, so waving her reservation letter she led us past all the people in the queue up to the ticket office where we got our tickets. therefore we didn't need tickets to the Forum, but we still needed to find the entrance and as described above, we were directed [no signs as yet] to the ticket office along the via di san gregorio - where there were no queues at all. the path takes you into the forum at first, and then the Palatine Hill goes off to the left - with no barriers at all.

i think that the only sensible advice is to BOOK IN ADVANCE!

A_Brit_In_Ischia

Signed or not when you saw it, there's long been an entrance to the Palatine on Via San Gregorio.

Not only mentioned in the 2005 opening post here, it was marked (on the correct side of the road!) on this map in our April 2000 Lonely Planet guide:

http://www.pbase.com/image/149134320

.... and was indeed how we got in - both the first time, over Christmas '97, and again 12 years later.

Peter

kybourbon

>>>Signed or not when you saw it, there's long been an entrance to the Palatine on Via San Gregorio.

annhig

>>>Signed or not when you saw it, there's long been an entrance to the Palatine on Via San Gregorio.

Rostra

www.capitolium.org/eng/fori/pianta.htm

Actually everyone except the outdated 2005 poster is correct.

A_Brit; I can't get google maps but try the older name for the Largo *della* Salara Vecchia, Largo Romolo e Remo.

Back to the map;

annhig, You are correct that is how *your* tour group entered the Forum, a cool but odd way in and I'd say on any given day only 1% use that path for a Forum entrance and then it's likely accidental.

So your word "path" which I assume 'dirt' and "no signs" for a Forum entrance got me to conclude;

After your tour group left the Colosseum the guide brought you to the Palatine entrance mentioned above on Via di San Gregorio "cul-de-sac".

Using using the map above;

As you enter you have 3 choices;

The 2 *major* ones used are;

Turn left and in a short distance there are large earth and wooden steps like you would find in a forest park ~2mx3m [```] that goes straight up the hill.

The 2nd option is kyburbon's zig-zag which is a long sloped path up to the Palatine Hill. The easiest and best as you pass the remains of the Aqueduct Claudia and if you make a longer zig before you zag you can see some massive ruins from groundlevel.

Now your guide used this entrance only turned right and followed 'the road less traveled'.

The dirt "path" is on the lower slope of the Hill and takes you around the rightside of #4, then turns left and takes you over to #1 Arch of Titus.

Now you are still within the ticket required area, your choice now is either go left as you say to the top of the Palatine Hill or go straight into the Roman Forum and you can always backtrack back to the Palatine Hill if you like.

A_Brits' map shows the dirt "paths" better www.pbase.com/image/149134320

Also the Via Foro Romano A_Brit mentions is the old entrance/exit (now closed) below # 19 & #11 on the map and not to/from the Capitoline Hill it puts you on a modern street and neighborhood.

The "long slow ramp" is the Clivus Capitolinus (still the original paving stones and in front of #17) that was *the* street to the Capitoline from the Forum and used in the Triumphs and religious parades from the Temples on the Hill.

This is now a closed entrance/exit but the street is still open and good for photo ops.

So as the official website states;

There are 2 entrances (also exits) to the Forum/Palatine but there are also 2 additional 'exit onlys'.

The 2 entrances are; On Via dei Fori Imperiali at the end of Via Cavour (rightside of #41) and the other on the slope of the Palatine Hill on Via di San Gregorio.

annhig

After your tour group left the Colosseum the guide brought you to the Palatine entrance mentioned above on Via di San Gregorio "cul-de-sac".>>


lol, i think that "the guide brought you to" would be overstating it - using our teacher's technique of accosting anyone who looked as if they might know, I think we "happened" upon the entrance!

Rostra

LOL! Now I understand.

[From the Colosseum]
>>

So no guide was with you, someone sent you in that direction and you "happened' upon the entrance.

And entering there it would only be logical to turn right back towards the general direction of the Roman Forum.

On the plus side you walked thru an area although uninteresting (scant ruins) is still part of the Palatine Hill where very few tourists tread.

But when you made that 90deg left hook you were walking among ruins possibly those of the Baths of Elagabalus who was another crazy Emperor who doesn't get the air time like Caligula and Nero.

But even better alongside that the birth home of Emperor Augustus, discovered a few years (6-7) ago and finished in 2011 IIRC, so still ongoing when you walked by it.

kybourbon

>>>Actually everyone except the outdated 2005 poster is correct

annhig

Rostra - yes, exactly. a happy accident. thanks for letting me know what we were seeing - one day I WILL do the forum with a guide and then perhaps I'll understand it better.

KY - I'm sure that you're right about Walter's advice having been right at the time. certainly the advice I got here before we went to Rome the first time about where to enter the forum and to buy the colosseum tickets at the entrance to the Palatinate was spot on.

Rostra

www.capitolium.org/eng/fori/pianta.htm

I'd also like to suggest 3 routes/walks to take which you can 'mix or match' after you purchase the tickets at the Palatine Hill ticket office on 'Via di San Gregorio'.

Remember tickets are valid for 2 consecutive days but IIRC? can only be used once for the Colosseum and once for the Roman Forum/Palatine Hill.
I assume because someone could use it on Day 1 and visit everything and sell it or give it to someone else for Day 2?

These would be based on your time limitations and level of interest, so starting at the quickest.


(A) Walk back to Colosseum bypass the line/queue, visit, walk up the Via dei Fori Imperiali to #41, bypass the ticket line and visit the Roman Forum.


(B) Enter at the Palatine ticket office, take either path to the top of the Palatine Hill, visit and exit by #1.

At #1 either turn left and visit the Roman Forum and then exit either at #41 or backtrack to #22 and then over to the Colosseum.

Or at #1 turn right and exit at #22, visit Colosseum and afterwards follow (A) route to the Forum.

The advantage of exiting at #22 is walking down the ancient 1stC-AD street that lead thru the Titus Arch and viewing the below ground excavated ruins on the right that have been ID'ed as the birth home of Emperor Augustus.


(C) Follow (B) route into the Roman Forum, visit, exit at #16 (Arch of Septimius Severus) to the Capitoline Hill (Campidolio on the map).

Now here you can either just do a quick walk-around visit or add the excellent Capitoline Museums (with a restaurant if hungry).


Exit by #26 #27 and view the impressive ruins called the 'Imperiali Forums' from the sidewalk on bothsides of the Via dei Fori Imperiali as you walk to your Colossum visit.


At #25 is the Forum of (Julius) Caesar and at #41 the Forum of Nerva. On the otherside of the Via, above (32) #30 (31) the Column, Forum, Markets(?), etc of Emperor Trajan.

This Trajan site has been opened and closed over the years the entrance *was* always on Via Alessandrina which is up a wide pedestian-street staircase that leads to the entrance at the far upper left corner of the site.

But check for updated info if interested, it's worth it if you have the time.


At that (32) #30 (31) and below is the Forum of Augustus.

The street next to that (Via Cavour) has some outside cafes and restaurants if you need to fuel-up before hitting the Colosseum.

------------------------------

Also across the street from the Colosseum (on map this is too the right of the Colosseum (~o~)-->* is 50% of the *Ludus Magus excavated ruins.

It's a Gladiator School (the one Maximus enters on the set of the movie Gladiator) that has the remains of the barrarks (once possibly 3 floors) and the training arena they used which is 1/4 scale to the Colosseum's arena and with amphitheater-like seating for 3,000 to watch the training.

It was also connected to the Colosseum by an underground tunnel which made the Gladiator's commute to and hopefully *from* work alot easier.

A_Brit_In_Ischia

Don't think it's been noted yet, but nowadays there's another major site to visit whilst walking that area...

When standing near the Colosseum, and looking towards the city centre, on the hill you'll see the back of a church with - in front of it - the ruins of an impressive hall, and the remains of many columns:

http://www.pbase.com/image/139564451

On this, it's marked as "Chiesa di Santa Francesca Romana" - near number 20, the Arch of Titus:

http://www.pbase.com/image/149134320

(And indeed that's at the end of the path - the Via Sacra - which betrayed us all those years ago, shown by LP as leading to an entrance!)

In late 2010, the area up there - the ruins of the utterly enormous temple of Venus and Roma - Tempio di Venere e Roma - was reopened....

http://tempiodivenereeroma.benicultu...?centrale=1000

Try the video here for an idea of what it was and is like, and the restorations they've done:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7kidx0SJtF8

To get in, use either of the 2 entrances discussed already...

http://www.060608.it/en/eventi-e-spe...ro-romano.html

Peter

PS: For more about that church (although we've just missed their big annual event, earlier this week)...

http://romanchurches.wikia.com/wiki/...ancesca_Romana

Rostra

Peter great advice!

It's wonderful that the church is now within the Roman Forum ticketed area.

Before when it was fenced-off from the Forum it was easy for tourists to overlook it unless they really wanted to find the other entrance outside of the Forum later on.

And opening up the Temple of Venus and Roma finally to tourists is a big added bonus.

That's the Temple where the ancient urban legend was;

When Hadrian sent his architectual plans to the famous architect Apollodorus to review he critized them.
And Hadrian had him banished and killed.

When actually it's highly believed that Hadrian took his good advice and changed this temple's plans.

Later Apollodorus died of natural causes around the same time Hadrian was causing unnatural causes of death to some pesky Senators and this urban legend was born.

====================================

The OP mentioned the 2 museums and I'd like to add to that.

www.capitolium.org/eng/fori/pianta.htm

#23 is the Museo Palatino (+w.c.) hard to miss as it's the only "modern" 3 story building among the ruins.

It's a very cool small museum, 9 rooms on 2 floors with artifacts found on the Palatine from the 'Stone Age' to the 4C-AD.

2 items not to overlook;

In either Room VII-VIII there is a portrait head of Nero, "Regarded as the most precious portraits of Nero..."

In Room VIII in the corner hanging on the wall is a plain white square but if you look closer you can see a simple drawing etched on it.

That is the very famous 'Alexamenos Graffito'.

~200+AD in the nearby 'Imperial Slave School' (Pedagogium) it *seems* that a Pagan classmate etched this graffito on a plastered wooden beam to make fun of his classmate Alexamenos' religion...Christianity.

Google it if interested also it cannot date to anytime before the 'Severan Period' 193-238AD so disregard any earlier dating claims.

And then there is the 'Antiquarium Forense' a Roman Forum Museum.

Very often overlooked (often closed esp in the afternoon) by the majority of tourists and kind-of hidden in plain sight.

It's on the rightside of the church complex A_Brit posted about 'Chiesa di Santa Francesca Romana' (also if you google about this museum it will sometimes show the older name of that same church as 'S. Maria Nova').

So Church complex [```]<--==stairs==|^| Arch of Titus.

The entrance <-- is a small roofed 1-story building.

In the 2nd photo captioned 'View of church from Palatine' you can see it http://romanchurches.wikia.com/wiki/...ancesca_Romana also here http://tinyurl.com/a4q9nal

Very small but with *alot* of cool artifacts and they are talking about expanding it?

There are 17 skeletons from Forum graves and the others are cremation urns with grave goods dating from the 10C-BC to 7thC-BC.

Every grave found had some nice grave goods buried with them by loved ones except for 2 people found in a single grave site in the Roman Forum Sq.

The skeletons are alone in Room 3 compared to the all the others in Rooms 1 & 2.

They are of a man and woman who lived in the 600's BC and as the archaeologists determined "...indentified as the remains of a expiatory human sacrifice."

I've often wondered what they had "to give satisfaction for" "atone" "to make amends" for?

Murder, adultery, a capitol crime or a sacrilege?...perhaps a Vestal Virgin and her lover?

MaddieEms

Oh my gosh. I'm so confused. I last went in 2005 and I had no idea the entrances have changed. I'm supposed to lead my entire family on this day---please help me with step by step instructions!

We're getting dropped off by a private transfer from a cruise ship. We only have 1.5 hours to walk through the Forum area, and then we have to check in at the Coloseeum for our Underground Tour.

I'd like to walk down hill, from the Capitoline Museum area (without going into the museum) so that my family can see that awesome view of the Forum, across the Forum, then out to the Colosseum.

Can someone please give me directions based on the numbered map? We're on a super tight schedule that day and I'd hate to get lost. I'm printing tickets out at home to bypass the lines.

Thanks so much!

Rostra

Sure MaddieEms I can see with all the jumping back and forth on the thread it can get confusing.

www.capitolium.org/eng/fori/pianta.htm

Ok the Roman Forum and the Palatine Hill is just one big combined site which can be entered and seen on the same ticket.

There are *only* 2 ENTRANCES to this combined site (on map);

(A) Is the Roman Forum entrance which is just to the right of #41 (in the |W|hite section 41->|W| ) which is at 'Largo della Salara Vecchia 5/6' on the Via dei Fori Imperiali.

(B) Is the Palatine Hill entrance which is on 'Via di San Gregorio 30'. That entrance is where that little 'cul-de-sac' (`)= is to the left of the 'eg' in Gregorio.

----------------------------------

There are 4 EXITS;

The above 'entrances' are also exits.

There is an 'Exit Only' to the Capitoline Hill which is stairs behind #16 (Arch of Septimius Severus).

There is a Roman Forum and Palatine Hill 'Exit Only' to the Colosseum at #1 (Arch of Titus) and going down #22 (Via Sacra).

-----------------------------------

With timing a 'cruise ship' disembarking, an over the road private transfer to a fixed time Colosseum tour you have estimated that you will have 1.5hrs to tour the Roman Forum.

So in reality it will likely be plus or minus 1.5hrs?

I would pass on the Capitoline Hill scenic view because you would have to backtrack at #26/27 to the Via d. Fori Imperiale then over to #41 Roman Forum entrance. I know it makes a great 1st impression but you can no longer enter from the Capitoline and you don't have all that much time.

But that's your call.

So I would get dropped-off at (A) the Roman Forum entrance #41, visit and then exit at #1 & #22 and then over to your Colosseum tour.

----------------------------------

But if you have time towards the end of your Roman Forum visit you could quickly (15-20mins) do this;

At #1 enter up to the Palatine Hill and turn right to this Scenic Roman Forum overlook;
www.pbase.com/isolaverde/image/142756499

You can see this from the Roman Forum like in the photo see it's real easy to figure out how to get up there.

Looking left from there to the Capitoline Hill; www.pbase.com/isolaverde/image/139511784

Straight ahead; www.pbase.com/isolaverde/image/120072175

And right towards the Colosseum;
www.pbase.com/isolaverde/image/120072177

---------------------------------

If you do decide just to enter at #41 here's an imaginative visual you can tell your family.

We are now standing in 21stC Rome, as we walk down the ramp we will walk back in time.

We will walk thru space that was once Renaissance Rome, then Medieval Rome and at the bottom of the ramp we will be back in ancient Rome 2000yrs ago.

I use 2000yrs because the early 19/20C archaeologists excavated down to the Emperor Augustus level (31BC-14AD) although some ruins date to before and after that period.

kybourbon

>>>There are *only* 2 ENTRANCES to this combined site (on map);

(A) Is the Roman Forum entrance which is just to the right of #41 (in the |W|hite section 41->|W| ) which is at 'Largo della Salara Vecchia 5/6' on the Via dei Fori Imperiali.

(B) Is the Palatine Hill entrance which is on 'Via di San Gregorio 30'. That entrance is where that little 'cul-de-sac' (`)= is to the left of the 'eg' in Gregorio.>>I'd like to walk down hill, from the Capitoline Museum area (without going into the museum) so that my family can see that awesome view of the Forum, across the Forum, then out to the Colosseum.