Continuing the itinerary southward, we reach the zone of the Foro Boario, the site in ancient times of the cattle and beef market, and the Velabrum, once a stagnant marsh where, according to tradition, the basket with the twins Romulus and Remus was found.
The sons of Mars and Rhea Silvia,
the twins were saved by a
she-wolf who nursed them.
For this reason the she-wolf has
become one of the symbols of the
city of Rome.
Dominating monuments in the area
are the two famous Temples called
of Vesta (the one with a circular
plan, in reality dedicated to
Hercules Victor) and of Fortuna
Virilis (in reality dedicated to
the river god Portumnus).
Following is the church of Santa
Maria in Cosmedin dating from the
6th century and entrusted later
to the Greeks who had fled to
Rome from the East. In fact, the
church's name comes from the
Greek, referring to the splendid
decorations characterising
it.
Here, each
Sunday at 10.30 a.m., a
Greek-Orthodox mass is held.
Beneath the portico, of
the church, to the left, is the
famous Bocca della Verità
(Mouth of Truth), a large stone
disk depicting the face of a faun
or river god, with its mouth
open. It is probably a monumental
slab to close a drain but,
according to legend, the stone
was used to judge people's
honesty: whoever told a lie while
holding his hand in the mouth
would have ended up pulling out
only the stump.
Audrey Hepburn
and Gregory Peck also fell
subject to its mysterious charm
in the famous film Roman
Holiday!
At this point the walk continues
towards Castel Sant'Angelo,
northward; we can either continue
on foot or take a bus.
If, on the other hand, we want to take a short break, on the other side of the Tiber, at the entrance to Ponte Cestio, we can enjoy one of the most famous grattacecche (water ices) in Rome. Castel Sant'Angelo was built in the early 2nd century by the Emperor Hadrian, as a monumental tomb for himself and his successors.
Discovering Rome: 1-2-3-4-5-6-7-8-9-10-11-12
