Largo di Torre Argentina

Largo di Torre Argentina opens below modern streets in Italy, revealing four Republican Roman temples in a sunken archaeological landscape. Paths and lighting let you view the ruins from above. Temple C is the oldest, dating from the late fourth or early third century BC. Temple B alone has a clearly circular plan, while Temple D is the largest.

Fire repeatedly reshaped the sacred ground, raising it more than a metre on a broad tuff foundation. A travertine floor from rebuilding under Emperor Domitian remains visible. Behind Temples B and C, a tuff base marks Pompey’s Curia, where the Roman Senate met. Julius Caesar was killed there on 15 March 44 BC. Temple A later held a church dedicated to Saint Nicholas in 1132.

Temple B probably honoured Fortuna Huiusce Diei after a Roman victory over the Cimbri. Marble fragments from its colossal acrolith statue survive at the Centrale Montemartini Museum. The Cosmatesque floor, decorated apse, altar, and smaller fourteenth-century apse remain inside Temple A. Cats cared for by local volunteers now move among the ancient stones.