The guided tours begins at Via del Velabro at the Church of Santa Maria in Cosmedin in Piazza Bocca della verità. An expert archaeologist will led you to explore the archaeological area of the Forum Boarium, the ancient Rome cattle market for selling the meat.
Here you will visit several Roman temples built along the Tiber river, such as the mistakenly called “temple of Vesta “ since its round shape similar to that of the temple of Vesta in the Roman Forum, but actually a temple dedicated to Hercules Olivarius who protected olive oil merchants , the temple of the fluvial god Portunus and the remains of the etruscan’s temples of Fortuna and Mater Matuta which remains lay in the area of the Church of St. Omobono.
Crossing the street, you will then arrive in the area of the Forum Holitorium, the ancient vegetables market.
We will visit the medieval Church of San Nicola in Carcere built into the remains of three Republican temples dedicated to the gods Spes, Juno and Janus. We will then go down into the underground of the church to explore the hidden remains of the temples.
Then we will visit the remains of the theatre of Marcellus, the only Roman theatre that has survived intact in Rome today built by the emperor Augustus, and the remains of the nearby splendid marble temple of Apollo Sosianus built by the consul Caius Sosius in 34 B.C.
Then we will visit the remains of the Porticus of Octavie, the splendid porticus built by Augustus in honour of his sister Octavia. Lastly we will take a walk in the Jewish ghetto.
Here we will admire the beautiful Synagogue built soon after the unification of Italy. The great Synagogye, the largest of Rome, is still today the heart of the Jewish community in Rome.
It also houses a splendid Jewish museum telling the story of 2000 years of the Jewish community in Rome with a collection of medieval marbles, textiles and liturgical objects.
At the end of the tour you will encounter an area that prides itself in Roman Judaic tradition. For instance the many kosher shops adhering to culinary religious practices. If you are looking for something more substantial have a lunch at Giggetto’s restaurant . Try the delicious carciofi alla Giudia, a traditional Roman-Judaic receipe.
Tour meeting point at the entrance of the Church of Santa Maria in Cosmedin.
