ROMAN FORUM, Itinerary Start

I suggest starting your tour through the Forum from above, at the arches of the Tabularium, which is the imposing building you can see under Capitoline Hill, or from the panoramic balconies behind the Vittoriano (the National Monument to Victor Emmanuel II) in order to take in the entire excavation site.

I suggest using the best preserved monuments as reference points: in the foreground you can admire the Arch of Septimius Severus with its three arches, and on the right, the remaining pillars of the Temple of Neptune.

The ancient Via Sacra (or Sacred Road) begins behind the arch, where on the left you can see the Curia Julia and the clearing where the Emilia Basilica once stood. As I mentioned, the buildings that were converted into Christian churches are the ones that have been best preserved over time, such as the Temple of Antoninus and Faustina.

In the center, isolated, you can easily recognize the column that the Byzantine Emperor Foca had erected in the year 608. The three beautiful columns on its right behind the podium with steps, the cobblestones, and the remains of the Basilica Julia are all that's left of the Temple of Castor and Pollux, next to which you can see the circular Temple of Hercules Victor....