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You see pictures of the Colosseum all the time, but when you actually see it up close in real life, it is simply breathtaking. It’s no wonder that the Colosseum attracts some 3 million visitors annually. That’s more than Rome’s entire population.

I had to admit I felt a little sense of accomplishment finding the Colosseum. Until I remembered it was the largest landmark in the Rome. Kinda hard to miss it! And of course, after reaching it, it was closed. And I’d have to come back tomorrow.

THE ROMAN FORUM, PALATINE HILL AND ROMAN INFLUENCE

Now before Rome was an Empire, it was a Republic…not ruled by the sole power of an Emperor, but by the shared power of a Senate. The Republic of Rome was founded in 509BC and its territory and influence spread far and wide. Due in large part to military victories like that of Julius Caesar who quickly rose to power — and was given a mandate by the people to rule as “dictator” for life. Meanwhile, a group from the Senate feared Julius’s excessive power and plotted to assassinate him before he established a monarchy. His murder on the Ides of March (or March 15th), immortalized in Shakespeare’s tragedy Julius Caesar, is perhaps the world’s most notorious political assassination.

Over the centuries of political power struggles, as the Roman Republic gradually morphed into the Roman Empire, the culture of Rome was born. And no better place is this displayed than in the towering ruins of The Roman Forum.

The Forum began as a simple gathering place for Rome’s citizens — sort of an open-air market. Goods were bought and sold and money was constantly changing hands. You could get anything you needed — everything from food and clothes to slaves or mercenaries. And just like advertisers who display billboards in high-traffic areas, the rulers of Rome through the centuries chose The Forum to display their monuments. Temples were built, Arches were erected, and basilicas were consecrated. The Forum became very much the centerpiece of the entire Roman Empire.

The Forum’s main street was called the Via Sacra, or the Sacred Way. This was the road down which returning military heroes would triumphantly march as they paraded their prisoners and spoils of war before the people of Rome. It was along this road that Rome’s leaders would erect statues and monuments to themselves — leaving their mark where the highest number of people would see it.

Overlooking The Forum is the legendary Palatine Hill — Rome’s most prime real estate. Even during the Republic, Palatine Hill, because of its location and view (with The Forum on one side and the Circus Maximus on the other), was the logical place for the wealthy and powerful to build opulent homes. The Emperors, not surprisingly, would also build extravagant palaces here. Ruins of the ones belonging to Augustus, Tiberius and Diocletian can still be seen along with the remains of a stadium built by Domitian.

Remember the original 7 Hills of early Rome? Well…Palatine was the most prominent one. And it was on this hill that the mythical origins of Rome were said to have taken place….