ROMAN FORUM, Curia And Basilicas

You're now at the Curia Julia, a simple and sober brick structure which is one of the best preserved monuments in the Forum, both because it was transformed into the Christian church of Sant'Adriano, and because the twentieth-century restorations saw to restoring its roof. It was first rebuilt at the time of Julius Caesar and then again at the end of the third century AD, when it took on its present form. Inside you can still see part of the original marble floor, as well as two beautiful bas-reliefs named the "Plutei of Trajan". They are the remains of a parapet that was made near here, in front of the rostrum's platform. The sculptures illustrate two important economic decisions that were made by Emperor Trajan: the cancellation of tax debts, which is represented by the people throwing away heavy tax registers, and the distribution of low-interest agricultural loans.

Behind the Curia you can see the dome of the beautiful Church of the Saints Luca and Martina, the Baroque work of Pietro da Cortona with a travertine façade that's perfectly harmonized with the remains of ancient Roman civilization....