hotels in Rome, apartments, Rome accommodation, hotel reservation

• 3 star hotels
• 2 star hotels

The tour of Rome of heroes: Campus Martius

Funny how the finest lounge in Rome is in an area not even included within the old city wall, where the brave roman heroes used to walk to celebrate their successes. An hotel in Rome can make you feel like an Emperor or like a posh dandy. In rione Campo Marzio you can choose your own mood.

Before the founding of the Eternal City, The Campus Martius was a plain enclosed on the west by a bend of the Tiber River near Tiber Island, on the east by the Quirinal Hill, and on the southeast by the Capitoline Hill. According to the legend, this plain was once a field of wheat owned by Tarquinius Superbus, last King of Rome, but was burnt during the revolution which came out with the Roman Republic.

Because at the time it was outside the city walls, the Campus Martius was a suitable place to meet foreign ambassadors who could not enter the city, and foreign cults and religions were housed in temples erected here.

Marcus Vipsanius Agrippa had the original swampy ground made into a pool and baths in a setting of parkland and temples, the Laconicum Sudatorium or Baths of Agrippa, and he built the Porticus Argonautarum and, most notably, the Pantheon, which was later rebuilt by Hadrian as it still stands today. In 19 BC he additionally completed the Aqua Virgo to supply water to these new baths and fountains. In the non-populated northern area there was the huge Mausoleum of Augustus. Other buildings were made: the Theater of Marcellus, the temple for Isis (from around the time of Caligula), the baths and bridge by Nero. After the great fire of the 80, Domitianus rebuilt the burnt monuments plus a stadium (eventually to become today's Piazza Navona) and an Odeion (a small performance hall).

Gradually, the Campus filled with temples and public buildings, circuses, theaters, porticoes, baths, monuments, columns and obelisks. Interestingly, even though the area was originally named for Mars, there was no monument dedicated solely to him in the later Roman period.
The main road connecting Rome to the rest of Europe was the Via Cassia, entering Rome through the Porta del Popolo ("door of the people") in the northern part of the Campus Martius. The other main road to Rome, the Via Aurelia, became unsafe in medieval times with the spread of malaria, because it passed through the unhealthy marshes of the Val di Chiana, and because its route by the sea made it more dangerous to attack from raiders.

Because of the increasing importance of the area, several popes decided to improve the conditions of the area. In the period 1513-1521 Pope Leo X built a route connecting Porta del Popolo to the Vatican. This road was first called the Via Leonina after the pope, later the more famous Via di Ripetta after the name of the river port. To improve the hygiene of the area, several ancient Roman aqueducts were restored to operating condition.
As the population of Rome greatly increased in the Middle Ages, the Campus Martius became a crowded multi-cultural place where many foreigners settled. In 1555, Pope Paul IV designated part of the southern part of the Campus Martius as the ghetto to contain the city's Jewish population.

With a jump in space and time, now we find Piazza del Popolo being one the finest and posh places in the city, where a very ancient cafè is next to the other, where lots of stylists like Valentino set their headquarters and you can shop the highest italian fashion before having your dinner in your charming hotel in Rome. Don't hesitate, book your lodge in rione Campo Marzio!!!

Latest articles

• An hotel facing the Tiber in Rione Regola
• Rione Parione means Piazza Navona
• Choose a strategic hotel in Rome in Rione Ponte
• View all articles

© Copyright MODO Globe 2007 Resources  - Login