Things to see and do Lazio

The Arch of Septimius Severus (193-211), erected in 203 to celebrate the tenth anniversary of the Emperor's reign, is one of three triumphal arches still visible in Rome. It currently separates the Curia from the Rostres and is one of the best preserved in the city. Interesting bas-reliefs celebrate the emperor's victories over the Parthians, which Roman soldiers drag in chains. The monument was dedicated to the Emperor and his two sons, Caracalla and Geta. Geta's name was erased when Caracalla had her younger brother murdered in order to rule alone.

Designed by Pius VII Chiaramonti (1800-1823) to house Roman statues and busts, this museum was designed by the neoclassical sculptor Antonio Canova in 1807: there are about a thousand sculptures, including portraits of emperors, mock divinities, as well as numerous fragments, friezes and bas-reliefs of sarcophagi. It is worth mentioning the miller's funeral monument, from Ostia, dating from the 1st century AD. It is located in the gallery that links the Vatican museums to the courtyard and the Belvedere Palace.

Only eight Ionic columns (4th century AD) will show you the location of the Temple of Saturn. This is all we have left of the building in which the treasure and official government documents were kept. The feasts dedicated to the god Saturn (the Saturnalia) began every year on December 17 and they signed the end of the year. Curiosity: near the temple stood the Miliarum Aureum, a kind of milestone that was supposed to mark the "zero point" from which all the distances of the Empire were calculated.

The Sacred Way was used by the triumphant warlords on their return from their military campaigns. They all went down that road, followed by their troops. The Sacred Way led up the Capitol to the temple of the Capitoline Triad. To the west is the Lapis Niger, a stele fenced in because it is considered harmful. Legend has it that Romulus was killed here. Engraved on the stele, we read (from right to left) the oldest known Latin text (6th century BC). Under the Lapis Niger, an underground altar, perhaps an archaic temple dedicated to Vulcan.

This gigantic building, of which only the northern half remains, was undertaken by Emperor Maxentius and completed by Constantine. It was the seat of the prefecture at the beginning of the 4th century. The entrance was through the Sacred Way and the basilica extended over 6,000 ^m2, entirely decorated with marble. The tiles were made of gilded bronze. There were also colossal statues such as that of Constantine, of which only the head and a hand remain in the courtyard of the Conservative palace.

Domus Augustana occupied the centre of the system and extended along the edge of the Palatine. The traveller from the East was facing the majestic mass of the palace and could not therefore ignore who was the master of the world. Behind the domus was a basilica, in which the emperor's court was located, and the Flavian palace (Domus Flavia), intended for official receptions. Next to the Domus, to the east, the so-called Domitian Stadium was reserved for the exercises of the emperor and his court; further away are the baths built under Septimius Severus.

The area that extends from the Tiber to the foot of the three hills of the Capitol, the Palatine and the Aventine was occupied in ancient times by the port of Rome and by the food markets (forums): the holitorium forum (vegetables), at the foot of the Capitol, and the boarium forum (cattle) in the south, at the foot of the Aventine. These forums were supplied by ships that, after sailing up the Tiber from Ostia, docked on the bank below the bridge over the river. This bridge, first built in the 2nd century BC, collapsed several times. Today, there are only two arches left in the middle of the river, at the end of the Tiberine Island. It is called the Rotto egg laying (the broken bridge). The markets were under the protection of many deities who had their temple nearby. Today, only two remain and remains of a few others are still visible in the basements of the church of San Nicola in Carcere. The first, the round one, was dedicated to Hercules, while the other, the rectangular one, was dedicated to Portunus, the protector of the port facilities. Both were transformed into churches, but in the early 20th century, the Christian additions were removed and brought back to their ancient appearance. The foro boario and the foro olitorio are of great importance in Roman history and were undoubtedly one of the pillars of the economy of ancient Rome.

At the time of the Empire, the Quirinal was inhabited by Roman patricians. Here were the thermal baths of Constantine, from which we have received the statues of the Dioscuri that adorn the fountain in the square (Fontana dei Dioscuri). The obelisk in the centre was in Augustus' mausoleum, like the one in Piazza dell'Esquilino. For centuries, the Quirinal remained an area inhabited by the Roman nobility. The main building is now the seat of the Italian Presidency. The square is completed by the Palace of the Constitutional Court.

Nicolas V commissioned the decoration of the Nicoline chapel from Fra Angelico, who painted the frescoes and vault from 1447 to 1451. At the time, the chapel was intended for the private use of the Pontiff, who celebrated Mass there in complete privacy. It is therefore probably the Pope himself who chose the iconographic declination around the two figures of Saint Lawrence and Saint Stephen.

For reasons of paint protection, the chapel can only be seen behind a barrier that prevents access.

To the south of the temple of Cybele are the remains of a primitive village dating back to the Iron Age (9th century BC). It would correspond, according to tradition, to the village founded by Romulus. So this is where the first Romans lived. The remains of the three huts that were discovered here are among the oldest remains of Rome. To preserve them, they are not always open to visitors. However, we have the opportunity to see the remains of it in summer, the time of exceptional openings.

Two small rooms display all the impressions of stamps, coins, commemorative medals of the Vatican City State since its creation, and others older.

The numismatic section presents drawings, plasters, dies necessary for the production of coins and medals. The philatelic section presents a collection of stamps from the Pontifical States, and some preparatory drawings for printing. There is also a Vatican post office.

This wing was built under Pius VII and inaugurated in 1817. It houses Roman statues and mosaics, some of which are copies of Greek statues. In the alcove we will seethestatue of the Nile. The river is depicted as a mature and bearded man, surrounded by crocodiles and sixteen naked children who symbolize the bends that the Nile must reach to flood agricultural land. This statue was found in Rome in 1513. Opposite, two gilded bronze peacocks come from Hadrian's villa in Tivoli. Their copy surrounds the Pigne, in the courtyard.

The Candelabra Gallery was refurbished under Pius VI. Its 80 m length is divided into 6 arcades where antiquities from the classical Roman period to the 2nd century are displayed. Under the pilasters rise marble candelabra. We will also look at the ceilings and glasses of the six bays designed by Domenico Torti and Ludwig Seitz under Leo XIII. Notice among all the statues, the curious one of the Artemis Ephesus: covered with what looks like breasts (and which in reality are bull's testicles), it symbolizes fertility.