So You're Staying in Monti - Part One

So you are staying in the Monti district of Rome. This is one of the oldest parts of the city. In ancient times, during the time of Julius Caesar and Augustus and later, this vibrant neighborhood was known as the Suburra. It was a hub of activity, with shops and apartments and, by all accounts, streets full of activity and commerce.

Ancient Accounts

We actually have firsthand accounts about what it was like to live in this part of Rome.

• Juvenal (writing in the 100s AD): We have the words of Juvenal, writing a generation after Augustus, early in the Empire, wrote about the dangers of pots and other items falling on your heads from apartments above. He lamented walking through the crowded streets, where you might get kicked by the shoes of a soldier as you try to weave your way through the crowded streets. Moreover, he expressed disgust that the rich, carried aloft in their litters, were immune to the dangers of the crowded streets.

• Martial (writing in the 80s and 90s AD): We are fortunate also to have the firsthand accounts of Martial, who, in addition to his other works, wrote about the opening of the Colosseum. He complained about the constant banging of blacksmiths and the shouting of schoolmasters teaching their students. The author Martial also speaks of the business of the city. He also humorously describes a woman bought who bought her beauty in the Suburra, as he puts up, due to the availability of hairstylists, makeup artist, and clothes. But he acknowledged too the ability to get good food in the Suburra.

• Suetonius (writing in the early 100s AD): The historian Suetonius tells us that Julius Caesar had a home in the Suburra until the year 63 BC. The historian's aim was to paint Caesar as a man of the people, and not the rich politicians who lived in the Palatine area of Rome.

These are the ancient descriptions from the residents of Rome. It is fascinating that we can actually read these sources; these are the observations of people who actually walked in the area now known as the Monti.

Modern Perceptions

The ancient Romans were not the only ones interested in the Monti region. This part of the city looks great in the movies!

• Mission Impossible - Dead Reckoning: Tom Cruise shut down the streets of Monti while filming Mission Impossible 7 - Dead Reckoning, driving down the Via dei Serpenti straight toward the Colosseum.

• To Rome With Love: Woody Allen also chose the Monti region for the location of Alec Baldwin's son's apartment in Rome, just off Via Baccina on Via dei Neofiti.

A Practical Warning: The Augustan Dead End

And finally, the decisions and actions of the first emperor of Rome, Augustus, nephew of Julius Caesar, may come to cause a hindrance to you. On the map, the Forum of Augustus, and the entire forum area, lies just at the end of Via Baccina. Should you walk down Via Baccina you may reasonably assume that you will reach the Roman Forum.

You can't.

At the end of the road you are met with a massive grey wall with an opening allowing you only to glimpse the historical forum beyond. You can't proceed! When Augustus built his own forum he walled off the area behind, separating the Suburra from his beautiful temple. It is this area that you are seeing through the hole in the wall, and it is this 2,000 year old wall that separates you from the forum.

Don't worry! Turn left and you will quickly find the end of the wall.

These are the layers of history that present themselves in this lively, centrally located, delightful region of Rome.

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