Palatine

Blue sunny skies again today; Spring must be close. I’m not going to be seduced by the warmth coming through my sitting room window; I know it’s still cold out there. So: coat, gloves, scarf, money, keys (and sunglasses) and I’m out the door.

As usual, the forno in my street is busy with early morning patrons, most of them tucking into slabs of piazza bianca. A smartly-dressed girl hurries past with a tray of coffee, each cup covered with aluminium foil to keep it hot. Needless to say, most of these are tiny espresso-sized cups. She’s got the most amazing high heels on, but she navigates the cobbles easily. Elisa, the leather-smith next door, is outside getting some sun. Her shop has the most incredible collection of handmade bags, purses, wallets and belts in all shades of colour, including bright yellows and oranges. I can never pass without a long look in the window; I’d buy one of everything if I could.

A 10-minute walk, today skirting past the Theatre of Marcellus, takes me up to Capitoline Hill and I buy my Roma Pass at the Campidoglio museum. This pass gives me 3 days of museum visiting and as it turns out, easy access to the Forum and Palatine. There are lots of student groups at the Forum entrance queueing for tickets. With my Roma Pass, I luckily go straight through the turnstile.

At 10.30am the Forum is busy, with some people sitting on the marble stones having a late breakfast and consulting their guidebooks. I head past the Temple of Romulus and look at the bronze doors, original since the temple was built in 307 AD. According to my guidebook the locking mechanism on the doors still functions after 17 centuries.

Up the path to the Palatine Hill. It’s green and other-worldly up here and the first spring flowers are coming through the long grass. I head up to the Horti Farnese; the gardens are laid out with straight box hedging over several acres, cultivated but not excessively severe. The view out over the belvedere is superb; the Forum stretches below and to the right, the Colosseum looms up. This hill was the place to be, if you were a Roman emperor (or had aspirations) during the 1st century AD.

I look for the Emperor Augustus’ house, and the House of Livia, named after his second and much-loved wife. Supposedly he lived quite simply in his house on the Palatine, in complete contrast to Domitian, who built the massive Domus Flavia and Domus Augustana. You can still look down into his huge stadium – supposedly used for races and games. In early spring this area is grassed over but I can imagine it dry and dusty in the summer months.

It’s very peaceful up here on the Palatine and there are a thousand spots to stop and admire the view down over the Forum, or out towards St Peter’s dome. I spend a couple of hours happily wandering about, and then make my way back down, through the Forum and past the arch of Septimus to the exit on the Capitoline Hill.

Back at the Campo. Today marks the 408th anniversary of the death of Giordano Bruno. There is a fair crowd in the square, including the usual dogs and kids, and wreaths and mementos surround the statue. There are lots of speeches and ceremony including the municipal police band. I lean up against a sheepdog and scratch his ears and head and he leans back, enjoying the attention.