Largo di Torre Argentina

Demolition for urban works in the late 1920s exposed a group of Republican-era temples below modern street level. Archaeologists labeled them A through D because their original dedications remain uncertain or debated. Together they span several centuries, from roughly the 4th to the 1st century BC, and preserve one of central Rome's clearest views of the city before the emperors.

Behind the temples lie remains connected with the great Theatre of Pompey. Its curia, a meeting hall used by the Senate, is associated with the assassination of Julius Caesar on the Ides of March in 44 BC. Caesar did not die in the Roman Forum, as many visitors assume, but within Pompey's complex. Ancient sources place the attack near a statue of Pompey—an especially pointed setting after Caesar's victory over him.

For decades, people mainly peered down from railings while a cat sanctuary occupied sheltered parts of the ruins. In 2023 a new walkway opened through the archaeological area, bringing visitors closer without removing the neighborhood's feline presence. The route includes ramps and a lift. Start at street level to understand the excavation as a cut through the modern city, then descend and notice how temple podiums, later paving, and 20th-century traffic sit in distinct layers.

Did you know

• Four is the answer to one of the most useful details to remember on site.
• Four temples labeled A through D rather than by certain ancient names.
• The platform and wall remains associated with Pompey's Curia.

Architecture and details

Read the monument from a distance first, then move close enough to separate original fabric from repairs and later reuse. Changes in stone color, carving depth and blocked openings often explain more than a single frontal view. At Largo di Torre Argentina, compare these broad choices with the specific materials, openings and proportions described on site.

What to look for

• Four temples labeled A through D rather than by certain ancient names.
• The platform and wall remains associated with Pompey's Curia.
• Street level several meters above the Republican paving.
• Cats resting in protected corners of the archaeological area.

Today

The street overlooks are always free. The archaeological area generally opens Tuesday–Sunday 9:30 a.m.–7:00 p.m. in the longer season, with last entry one hour before closing; seasonal times apply and Monday is normally closed. The route includes accessible ramps and a lift. Hours and €5 price checked 2026-10-07. Start at street level to understand the excavation as a cut through the modern city, then descend and notice how temple podiums, later paving, and 20th-century traffic sit in distinct layers.