From March 5
A journey in space and time. This is the spirit with which the visitor can take the path that winds along the southern and western slopes of the Palatine hill. Starting from the Severan Arcades to the east, the last extension of the sumptous imperial palace, wlaking under the front of the palace and above the Circus Maximus, in short tracing history backwards, we reach the southwest slopes of the hill, where Romulus founded the Eternal City and Augustus, Rome’s first emperor, lived and spent the most splendid years of his life.
And from here again, continuing along the western side of the hill, we retrace time with the sanctuary of Cybele and Victoria, from the Domus Tiberiana as far as the medieval church of San Teodoro. Finally passing into the Horrea Agrippiana (“warehouses”), our path brings us into the Roman Forum.
The path is not only of archaeological interest but also a fascinating itinerary through one of the most striking and unusual places in Rome, so close to the city, present and living, yet far from the noise of the urban traffic. A path immersed at times in complete silence, in an almost dreamlike atmosphere, where clusters of flowers and grasses, dense shrubs and stands of trees, a lush, spontaneous vegetation, form a setting rich in sights and scents that enhance the powerful remains of an archaeological site that is unique worldwide.
Open to the public until saturday 28 February 2020 from 10.00 AM until 3.00 PM (last entrance at 2.30 PM).
Map of the paths.
The guide, published by Electa, is on sale at the bookshops of the Park.
Palatine Hill, the southern slopes before a summer storm.
Palatine Hill, the southwestern slopes.
Palatine Hill, southwestern slopes: the “pedagogium”.
The Circus Maximus and, to the right, the Severian Arches (southern slopes of the Palatine Hill) after the great snowfall of 26th February 2018.