An easy itinerary of about 1.7 km that can be done on foot.
Easily accessible by public transport and served by the Rome Metro lines, the route starts from Piazza Santa Croce in Gerusalemme. This place plays an important role from a religious point of view, for the presence of the Basilica of Santa Croce in Gerusalemme, which preserves the relics of the Holy Cross; from a historical point of view, for the presence of the Aurelian Walls; and from a cultural point of view, for the presence of the Museo Storico dei Granatieri di Sardegna (Historic Museum of the Grenadiers of Sardinia) and the Museo Nazionale degli Strumenti Musicali (National Museum of Musical Instruments).
The itinerary ends at the Acquario Romano, now the House of Architecture and headquarters of the Order of Architects of Rome and its province, a 19th-century building constructed with the intention of providing the city with an aquarium-exhibition of known fish fauna.
Numerous testimonies of the city's millennial history are visible along the way: from the archaeology of ancient Rome to the Rome of the 19th century as the new capital of Italy.
The itinerary is entirely urban and with numerous points of historical, artistic, religious and botanical interest, thanks to the important archaeological sites, places of historical importance and urban green areas it includes.
It is perfect for urban trekking in a multi-ethnic district, immersed in Rome's millenary history that alternates with the beauty of a tree heritage enhancing daily life in the city centre.
The itinerary, which can be done in complete autonomy, even reversing the point of departure with the point of arrival, can be enriched by visiting sites along the way, such as the Museo Nazionale degli Strumenti Musicali (National Museum of Musical Instruments), the Sepolcri Repubblicani (Republican Tombs), the Trofei di Mario (Mario's Trophies), the Porta Magica (Magic Door), etc.
For all information on opening hours and access methods, you can consult 060608 and the turismoroma.it website.
Points of historical/archaeological interest
Acquedotto Neroniano ([Neronian Aqueduct) 54-68 AD.
It is one of the secondary structures of the Claudian Aqueduct, built by Emperor Nero to feed the nymphaeum and the lake of his grandiose Domus Aurea.
Sepolcri repubblicani di via Statilia (Republican tombs in Via Statilia)
They consist of three funerary buildings not belonging to noble Roman families. The oldest, datable to around the end of the 2nd century, is marked by a peculiar epitaph that allows us to reconstruct an unprecedented insight into the life of a family of freedmen.
Ipogeo degli Aureli (Hypogeum of the Aureli)
Dating back to the 3rd century AD, it is an important burial complex in Rome. Discovered in 1919, it consists of underground rooms excavated in the tuff and an upper wall structure. It has two floors: on the upper floor is preserved the lower part of a semi-hypogean room, below which are two specular rooms completely underground.
They were a sumptuous garden-residence decorated with marble and statues. Until the 4th century AD, they were characterised by a lush landscape. Today, they have become a museum area of over 1,000 square metres on the Esquiline Hill.
Acquedotto di Piazza Pepe (Aqueduct of Piazza Pepe)
From the area of Porta Tiburtina, the aqueduct heads towards the area of Piazza Vittorio and the so-called ‘Trofei di Mario’. It was rebuilt in the early 3rd century AD to supply the large fountain that Emperor Alexander Severus had built at the junction between Via Tiburtina and Via Prenestina, on the summit of the Esquiline Hill. The remains of the ancient aqueduct, currently consisting of only six arches, can be seen on the straight stretch from Via Turati to Piazza Pepe. The arches that can be seen today are made of brick and probably rest on another order that allowed one to cross the valley in this area, as can be deduced from accurate 18th-century drawings by Piranesi. For a long time, this branch was attributed to the Aqua Iulia or Marcia, while more recent research and altimetric studies lead it back to the Aqua Claudia or Anio Novus, located at a higher altitude and both located in the area of the adjacent Porta Maggiore.
Auditorium di Mecenate (Auditorium of Maecenas)
The main feature of the building is the pictorial decoration from the 1st century AD, visible in the niches and above them, where runs a long frieze on a black background depicting Dionysian scenes and miniature gardens, true trompe-l'oeil paintings simulating windows opening onto lush gardens with pools, fountains and flying birds. The room, richly decorated and possibly enriched with water features, was a place for convivial and cultural gatherings, as confirmed by Callimachus' epigrams found there.
Trofei di Mario (Trophies of Marius)
The monumental Nymphaeum of Alexander Severus, known as the ‘Trophies of Marius’ due to the presence of marble trophies mistakenly linked to Caius Marius, is actually a water distribution structure, built by Alexander Severus to connect the various heights of the different aqueducts that flowed into the site.
This is the only vestige of the 17th-century Villa Palombara, demolished at the end of the 19th century. The gate is currently set in an artificial sod of earth and tuff in front of the ‘Trophies’ and is ‘guarded’ by ancient statues of Bes found during 19th-century excavations on the Quirinale. Also known as the ‘Alchemical Door’, it bears engravings of esoteric, cabalistic symbols and inscriptions evoking the mystery of the philosopher's stone.
Fontana dei Tritoni, o del Glauco (Fountain of the Tritons, or of the Glaucus)
Realised in 1910 by Mario Rutelli, it features a sculptural group originally designed for the Fountain of the Naiads in Piazza Esedra. Jokingly referred to as a ‘mixed fry’, it comprises three tritons, a large octopus and a gaping-mouthed sea monster.
Monumento ai Caduti della Guerra 1915-18
Leaning against the ‘’Trophies of Marius‘’, the Monument to the Fallen of the 1915-1918 War of the Rioni Esquilino, Viminale and Macao district, designed by Guido Caraffa and realised by Enrico Brai, was inaugurated in 1925.
Arco di Gallieno (Arch of Gallienus)
Built by Augustus near the ancient Porta Esquilina of the Servian Walls, the ancient arch, made of travertine, was later dedicated, as the inscription in the frame states, to Emperor Gallienus and his wife Salonina by a simple citizen (M. Aurelius Victor) in 262 AD.
Chiesa dei Santi Vito e Modesto
Tucked away in the streets of the Esquiline, the Church of Saints Vitus and Modestus is a small jewel encompassing centuries of history and faith. Leaning against the imposing Arch of Gallienus, it stands on an area of great historical importance, once occupied by the Macellum Liviae, an ancient Roman market.
Fontana dei Monti (Fountain of Monti)
Built in 1927 to a design by architect Pietro Lombardi, it stands in Via di San Vito in front of the Arch of Gallieno and on the side of the Church of Saints Vito and Modesto. It is an allegory inspired by the coat-of-arms of the Rione Monti: the three superimposed starred mountains that make it up represent the Rioni Esquilino, Viminale and Celio.
A fascinating testimony to Rome's glorious past, the remains of which can be seen in the gardens of the Acquario Romano, the Servian Walls were built to defend Rome from enemy attacks. They stretched for a perimeter of about 11 kilometres, encompassing the seven hills and including two main gates.
Botanical features
The itinerary passes through three gardens, three places of true relaxation; green lungs in a densely built-up neighbourhood.
Giardini di via Statilia (Gardens of Via Statilia)
They represent a small oasis of peace in the heart of the lively Roman district. Nestled between historic buildings and busy streets, the garden preserves archaeological evidence and a variety of common plants and trees, an ornament and peaceful refuge in every season for residents and visitors alike.
Giardini di Piazza Vittorio Emanuele II (Gardens of Piazza Vittorio Emanuele II)
Inaugurated in 1888, the Gardens of Piazza Vittorio stand in the heart of the Rione Esquilino. Defined at the time as a romantic space with architectural traces of different eras, they offer a great variety of exotic trees, such as the Silky Oak from Australia, the Cedar of Lebanon that grows in Lebanon and Syria, the Magnolia from South America and many others from California and South-East Asia. There are also palm and plane trees, and a delightful rose garden. The gardens are dedicated to Nicola Calipari, an Italian secret agent killed in Iraq on 4 March 2005 after freeing ‘Il Manifesto’ journalist Giuliana Sgrena.
Giardini dell'Acquario Romano (Gardens of the Acquario Romano)
A corner of nature between the buildings, an urban garden with majestic trees including the Sophora of Japan and the Chinese Hat Tree, holm oaks, magnolias and two recently created flower beds. One dedicated to Mediterranean essences, the other to exotic and tropical plants.
The event is part of the Unexpected Itineraries of Rome project - CUP J89I22001930001 - Financed by the Measure Grandi destinazioni per un turismo sostenibile (Sheet No. 51) of the Ministero del Turismo's Development and Cohesion Plan (PSC), approved by CIPESS resolution No. 58 of 3 November 2021.
Download the App to discover the Unexpected Itineraries of Rome at unexpecteditineraries.turismoroma.it
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