Rome: Roman Forum and Palentine Hill

Cost: €

Rating: *****

Links:

Time Required: Roman Forum (90 min), Palentine Hill (90 min)

Getting There: The closest Metro stop is the Colosseo. We used our Roma Pass to get into the Forum/Palentine Hill, and since we entered at the east entrance, it didn't make a difference in the length of the line. There was no line for either. In hindsight, we probably would've started at the north entrance and followed the guidemap's self guided walking tour. In mid-afternoon it didn't look like there was much of a line at the north entrance. We found this out when we had to leave the gate to use the WC and luckily the guy manning the entrance let us leave and re-enter.

What to Expect: There is a lot of cobblestone and uneven surfaces that you'll be walking on in the Forum and Palentine Hill areas, so choose your shoes with this in mind. Sturdy soles are a good idea to keep your feet from getting too tired.

Get the info brochure/map when you enter and follow one of the paths, or you could be wandering around aimlessly for hours. We decided to make our own route and there were a lot of areas closed off for renovation/excavation which led us to dead ends and we had to retrace our steps to get back to where we started. Unfortunately, the maps don’t tell you which areas are closed off.

You could see a lot of the Forum without actually having to pay admission and go inside. If you're pressed for time you can see a lot from the road, Via dei Fori Imperiali.

Photos: You can get a great overall photo of the Forum is if you head south from the Plazza on Capitoline Hill (around the south side of the museum) there is a street that overlooks the forum from up high. It is outside of the paid admission area.

Things You Might Not Know: Along the paths we found a few of the public drinking fountains where we refilled our water bottle. It seemed questionable at first, but we had no digestive track issues at all and the water was some of the best we've ever had! It was great to have free water at so many places all over Rome. Definitely keep a water bottle with you if you're going to be exploring the Forum/Palentine Hill in warm weather, and fill up when you see the water fountains (don't drink from the ones labeled "Non Potable"). You can walk around for hours because there is so much to see (and many elevation changes) and it gets quite hot.

There aren't many bathrooms (WC) so check the map and use them when you're close. Keep in mind that they may not always have a seat, some are just holes or just the bottom part of the toilet that you're used to in America.

There is so much history in the Forum, so it might be a good idea to find an inexpensive tour guide as opposed to getting the audio-guide. We think we would have enjoyed the experience even more if we'd had someone to give us more background on the ruins.

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