the bocca della verita

the district between the capitoline hill and the tiber river is called bocca della verita. the name means "mouth of truth" in italian, and comes from a large etruscan disk found in the area, still on display. it is said that if you put your hand into the figure's mouth and tell a lie, it will bite you. in antiquity, this district was home to the cattle and fish markets. during the middle ages, though, after the aquaducts stopped running and there wasn't the expertise to repair them, the population of rome moved off of the hills and into districts like this and the campo marzio, right along the banks of the tiber river.

these three columns are all that are left of a temple to apollo, dating from 34 b.c. they had also collapsed, but were re-erected in 1940. (the fascist government of mussolini, which liked to think of itself as the beginning of a new era of glory for rome, invested a lot of money and effort to excavate, re-erect, and even reconstruct roman era buildings.)

the theater of marcellus was begun by julius caesar and completed in about 12 b.C. under caesar augustus, who dedicated it to his nephew, marcellus. it was built for open-air plays, and could hold 15,000 spectators. during the middle ages it was stripped of its marble surface, then, turned into a fortress, and then in the renaissance into a palazzo for a local noble family (the upper story is from this last incarnation).

this is the portico of Octavia, built by caesar augustus and named after his sister. it was once the entrance to a large library and assembly hall, but only the doorway survives.

even in ancient rome, modern life continues. across the street from the portico of octavia was this beautiful "beaux arts" period apartment building, from around 1900.

the tiber river flows along the bocca della verita district, and is crossed by several bridges. this one, the only one to survive intact from the roman era, leads to the island called tiberina, which in antiquity was the site of a hospice for the sick.

in the middle ages, the tiberina island was populated, and some of the architecture of that era remains, like this tower.

also from the middle ages is this mansion, called the casa dei crescenzi, which had been built using a roman portico, still embedded into its walls. the crescenzi family had the right to collect tolls from anyone using the bridge.

nearby, what must be the best preserved temple in rome. it is called the temple of fortuna virilis ("manly luck"), but there is no historical evidence to support this belief. instead, and because of its location, it was probably dedicated to portumnus, the god of rivers and harbors. during the middle ages, it was used as a church, which is probably why it is so well preserved. the church was dedicated to st. mary the egyptian, a prostitute who became a hermit.

also nearby, the temple of vesta, so-called because of its round shape, which recalls the shape of the temple of vesta on the roman forum, but more likely to have been dedicated to hercules. it was also a church in the middle ages, dedicated to the virgin mary.

this odd structure is the arch of janus. it served as an official crossroads and marked the edge of the cattle market. it was dedicated to janus, the god of crossings (including the crossing of the old year into the new, and after whom the month of january is named).

behind the arch of janus is a small but elegant medieval church, the church of st. george (san giorgio in velabro), built in the 9th century, although its bell-tower is from the 12th century, and restored to its original appearance in 1926.