The Roman Forum is one of the most popular sights in Rome, and with good reason. It was once the center of the mighty and extensive Roman Empire - it was from the buildings that once stood in this (really quite small) area that the Empire was planned, achieved, and governed. And rather than just being a chapter in your history textbook, this is real-life history you can walk through. What’s better than that?

Long-time visitors to Rome will remember the bygone days when a visit to the Rome Forum was not only a must but also blissfully free. You could come and go as you pleased and visit multiple times. Those days are, sadly, gone - in March 2008 the city of Rome instituted an entry fee for the Forum. Despite this fact, I still say it’s a must-do attraction, and in this post you’ll find out why.

Rome was built on seven hills, and the Palatine Hill is the central hill as well as the site for one of the oldest parts of the city. It is in a cave here that (legend says) Romulus and Remus were suckled by the famous she-wolf - Romulus being the one who founded Rome once he grew up - so this hill is not only extremely well-known but also revered in Roman mythology. The importance of the Palatine Hill is more than just based in myth, however, as excavations here have revealed evidence of people living on the site around 1000 B.C.E.

The Palatine Hill overlooks the Roman Forum on one side and the Circus Maximus on the other. It is easy to combine a visit with the Colosseum and the Forum with a visit to the Palatine Hill. The buildings on the hill once included palaces of Augustus, Tiberius and Domitian, as well as other important Romans of the period, and a temple dedicated to Apollo. This site was also where ancient Romans celebrated the festival of Lupercalia, honoring the saving of Romulus and Remus by the she-wolf.

What exists today on the Palatine Hill may disappoint, as the ruins are pretty minimal, but the views overlooking the Forum and Circus Maximus are nice. And with the recent discovery of what archaeologists believe is the cave in which ancient Romans celebrated Lupercalia, it’s possible that tourists may be making more of an effort to climb up the hill to see this amazing find - although it will be quite awhile before it’s open to the public (if it ever is).

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