Overview
Forum Boarium
An ancient market on the banks of the Tiber River where you can walk through gardens and archaeological treasures
In Piazza della Bocca della Verità there is the ancient Forum Boarium that once hosted the cattle market. In this area, between the Tiber and the Aventine, you can admire two temples of the Roman Republican age in a good state of preservation.
The oldest, with a rectangular plan, is dedicated to the river deity Portunus, god of the ports.
The second, with a circular plan often erroneously considered in honor of Vesta, is dedicated to Hercules the Victor.
According to legend, Hercules, who reached the area of the Forum Boarium with Geryon’s oxen, was robbed of them by the giant Cacus, who lived in a cave on the slopes of the Aventine. After killing the giant, Hercules was honored as a god by the ancient inhabitants of the Palatine, the Arcadians, who dedicated an altar to him: the Ara Maxima. This altar, of which the tufa core is preserved, is located inside the church of Santa Maria in Cosmedin.
In front of the temple of Hercules, stands the elegant Triton Fountain dating back to the early Eighteenth century.
This area is also home to the ancient early Christian basilica of Santa Maria in Cosmedin and the Bocca della Verità (Mouth of Truth).
From here you can admire the banks of the Tiber or climb the Aventine Hill where you will find the Orange Garden and enjoy a view of the city from above.
