Piazza del Foro

Ancient Rome


This was originally the main square and meeting place on the Roman Forum. Its main feature is the free-standing Colonna di Foca.


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Nearby Ancient Rome attractions

1. Colonna di Foca

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The Colonna di Foca marks the centre of Piazza del Foro, the Roman Forum's principal square. The last monument erected on the forum, it was built in…

2. Lapis Niger

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Hidden by scaffolding on the Roman Forum, the Lapis Niger ('Black Stone' in Latin) is a large slab of black marble that covered an underground area said…

3. Rostri

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An elaborate podium overlooking what was the main square on the Roman Forum, this is where Shakespeare had Mark Antony make his famous 'Friends, Romans,…

4. Basilica Giulia

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Now a series of stubby ruins on the Roman Forum, the Basilica Giulia was begun by Julius Caesar and subsequently finished by Augustus.

5. Curia

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On the Roman Forum, the Curia was the meeting place of the Roman Senate. According to tradition, it was originally built by Tullo Ostilio, the third of…

6. Arco di Settimio Severo

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Dedicated to the eponymous emperor and his two sons, Caracalla and Geta, the 23m-high Arco di Settimio Severo was built in the Roman Forum in AD 203 to…

7. Via Sacra

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The cobbled Via Sacra, the main road through the Roman Forum, traverses the site, running from the Capitoline Hill to the Arco di Tito at the forum's…

8. Miliarium Aureum

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A few marble remnants are all that survive of the Miliarium Aureum, a bronze-clad column erected by Augustus in 20 BC that served as the symbolic starting…