We started in the morning with the Republican temples of the Forum Holitorium (vegetable market) and Forum Boarium (cow/bovine market). The best example was under scaffolding, of course.
A church using a wall from a Republican temple in the Forum Holitorium:
A spoliated column (ancient material reused as part of the later building) in the above church, with an ancient inscription:
Other side of the church:
Republican temple in the Forum Boarium (best preserved Republican temple at Rome, once thought to be to Fortuna, now thought to be to Portunus):
Temple to Hercules(?), formerly called Temple of Vesta, in the Forum Boarium (the round plan is Greek; the use of marble indicates a date after 146 BC, when the Romans sacked Corinth):
Then onto Santa Maria in Cosmedin to see the basement, a crypt of Pope Hadrian I built next to the foundations of the Roman Republican altar called Ara Maxima.
The church (the entrance portico has the Bocca della Verità - the Mouth of Truth):
The crypt of Pope Hadrian I:
The custodian who let us down there decided to light incense. Maybe that was his way of making sure we didn't spend too long in the crypt.
Next up: the Circus Maximus. We staged our own version of a race - Tom (far l., in red) won:
From there to a Mithraeum (sanctuary to Mithras; the cult was in some ways similar to the Masons):
And finally Tiber Island, starting with the Pons Fabricius (made by L. Fabricius, curator of the roads, as this inscription shows - you can click on the picture for a bigger version):
At 2 we were dismissed. I went over to the Colosseum to
We did the Forum:
...and ended up at Trajan's Column and Markets. It was hot, but fun. Our tour guide was approached by a plainclothes police officer, who stopped him to check his special tour guide ID. Apparently everything checked out.
Dinner: Pasta e fagioli | Braciole d'abbacchio con patate arrosto | Anguria
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