Palatine in Rome (Palatine Hill)

Palatine is the central of Rome’s seven main hills and one of the most anciently inhabited places. The profound antiquity of the hill is proven by numerous archaeological findings: traces of the first settlement on Palatine Hill date back to around 1000 BC

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According to the legend of the founding of Rome, the Tiber carried the twins Romulus and Remus to the hillside. It was here that the history of the city began with the establishment of the first urban settlement in 753 B.C., although another settlement found was dated by archaeologists and scientists to the 10th century B.C. Augustus was born on the Palatine and built his imperial palace here. His successors expanded and decorated their buildings, which began to deteriorate in the 4th century.

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Farnese Gardens

Cardinal Alessandro Farnese, later Pope Paul III, created the gardens here: he commissioned the architect Vignola in the mid-16th century to lay out the Farnese Gardens, whose terraces, ponds, flowerbeds and pavilions are arranged over the palace of Tiberius.

House of Livia

Away from the Forum stands the House of Livia, where wall paintings with mythological scenes and fantastic landscapes testify to the former splendor of the imperial buildings. The house is attributed to the wife of Emperor Augustus because of the inscription Livia Augusta found on a lead pipe.

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Flavian Palace

The ruins of the Flavian Palace in the center of the hill date back to the reign of Emperor Domitian of the Flavian family. The vast courtyard, surrounded by colonnades, is bounded on the south side by a triclinium with a heated floor; in the center of the northern part of the palace is the throne room, flanked by a judicial basilica and a lararium, a place of veneration for laras, penates, and other gods who guarded the house and family. The monumental ruins of the multi-story Augustus Palace, where the emperor lived, and the gardens and stadium built by Domitian date to the 1st century AD.

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Hippodrome

From here you have a beautiful view of the ruins of the largest hippodrome in ancient Rome, the Circus Maximus, in a low-lying area between the Palatine and Aventine hills. Up to 150 thousand spectators could watch the competition of chariots drawn by four horses. According to legend, it was here that the abduction of the Sabine women took place.

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