The Palatine: The Hill Where Rome Was Born

You're standing in the oldest place in Rome. Before the Forum, before the Colosseum, before any empire, everything began right up here. According to legend, in the year 753 BC, Romulus traced the sacred boundary of the first Rome right here. Archaeologists found something that surprised everyone: remains of Iron Age huts, from the 8th century BC. Exactly the period when Romulus is supposed to have lived. Legend and archaeology, for once, almost shake hands. For 900 years, this hill was the most exclusive place in the ancient world. The first kings lived here, then the emperors, and even…

Look carefully at the ground, close to here. There are holes carved into the rock, in a row. They're sockets for wooden posts. That's all that's left of the Casa Romuli, the supposed hut of Romulus. No, it wasn't made of stone or marble. It was a simple hut, of mud, straw, and wood. The incredible thing is that the Romans, centuries later, kept it on purpose. Every time it burned down or collapsed, they rebuilt it the same. Just as humble. Why? So they wouldn't forget where they came from. Emperor Augustus, centuries later, built his own palace just meters from this hut. On purpose. He…

In front of you are the ruins of the Temple of Magna Mater, the Great Mother. Her real name was Cybele, a goddess from Anatolia, today's Turkey. The Romans brought her to Rome in the year 204 BC, in the middle of the war against Hannibal. An oracle had told them: if you want to win the war, bring the goddess. And they brought her. Literally, a sacred black stone, by ship, all the way from Asia Minor. Her priests were famous for something very particular: they mutilated themselves in extreme rituals. A foreign cult, savage to traditional Roman eyes, installed right next to the myth of Rom…

Step, in your imagination, into the House of Augustus. Rome's first emperor lived here, in a house that, for his power, was almost modest. Augustus wanted to present himself as just another citizen, not a king. At least, on the surface. But look at these restored paintings: vivid colors, mythological scenes, extremely high luxury hidden behind closed doors. They were only discovered in 1970, almost by accident. The frescoes in this house are among the best preserved in the entire Roman world. Intense reds, theatrical scenes painted to impress only his closest guests. Augustus ruled the …

Next door, the House of Livia, Augustus's wife. Livia wasn't a decorative wife. She was, probably, the most powerful woman in Roman history. For over 50 years, she influenced political decisions, alliances, even who would inherit the throne. Her own son, Tiberius, ended up becoming emperor. Many say it was thanks to her. This house preserves spectacular frescoes: painted gardens, birds, garlands, as if the walls opened up to the outdoors. It's one of the most beautiful Roman decorations that survives intact. Livia lived almost 90 years, exceptional for the time. She outlived her husband…

You're now in the Domus Flavia, the official palace built by emperor Domitian. Treaties were closed here, ambassadors received, decisions made that affected millions of people. The main hall was called the Aula Regia. It measured over 30 meters long. Domitian was, according to historians of the time, paranoid about his safety. They say he had the walls lined with polished stone, like mirrors, to see who was approaching from behind. It wasn't paranoia without a reason: he ended up assassinated, in the year 96, in a palace conspiracy. From then on, every Roman emperor lived and governed fr…

This section is the Domus Augustana, the emperor's private residence. Unlike the Domus Flavia, there was no politics here. There was intimate life. Private rooms, courtyards with fountains, internal gardens far from curious eyes. It was built on two levels, taking advantage of the hill's natural slope. From here, the emperor had a direct view of the Circus Maximus. He could watch the chariot races without leaving his house. Imagine that: seventy thousand people shouting below, and the emperor watching from his private living room. This place mixed extreme luxury with total security. Ver…

Look down at this long, open space. It's called the Palatine Stadium, and for a long time archaeologists weren't sure what it was used for. Foot races? Private shows? Or simply a giant garden shaped like a hippodrome? Today the most accepted theory is the last one: an exclusive ornamental garden for the imperial family. It measures 160 meters long. A scale meant to impress, not to compete. At one end there are remains of a curved box, maybe for the emperor to watch while seated. Again, that pattern repeats: everything here, even a garden, had to speak of the power of whoever built it. W…

This area, the Vigna Barberini, shows something important: the Palatine never stopped growing. Emperor Septimius Severus, almost 200 years after Augustus, was still expanding the complex. He built huge terraces, his own baths, even a monumental facade visible from the Circus Maximus, called the Septizodium. Every emperor wanted to leave his mark up here. To add his own palace to those before him. Over time, the whole Palatine became a stack of centuries: layer upon layer of power. When Rome fell, in the 5th century, these buildings were gradually abandoned. During the Middle Ages, they b…

Lower your voice for a second. This place has a different energy. You're standing in front of the Cryptoporticus, an underground tunnel more than 100 meters long. It was built under Nero, in the 1st century, to connect different palaces without being exposed in public. Nero had good reasons to be afraid. He survived several conspiracies before finally being forced to take his own life. This tunnel let him move across the whole hill, protected, away from prying eyes and knives. Tradition says that nearby, emperor Caligula was assassinated decades earlier, in the year 41. Stabbed by his ow…

Look around: these tidy gardens aren't Roman. They're the Orti Farnesiani, built in the 16th century by Cardinal Alessandro Farnese. They're considered the first private botanical gardens of modern Europe. The cardinal literally built his Renaissance garden right on top of the ruins of the imperial palace. For centuries, nobody really knew what was beneath their feet. Only in the 19th century did serious excavations begin, and the whole ancient Palatine reappeared. Today the two layers coexist: roses, fountains, and gazebos from the Renaissance, over bricks and marble from 2,000 years ag…

Last stop. Come closer to the railing and look down. What you see is the Circus Maximus, the largest hippodrome in Roman history. Up to 150 thousand people came in here to watch chariot races. From this very same natural balcony, the emperors watched the races without leaving their palace. That privilege sums up everything you've walked through today. The Palatine wasn't only the place where Rome was born, according to the myth. For nearly a thousand years, it was the royal balcony from which a handful of people ruled much of the known world. From a mud hut to a palace with a view over …