Up the Aventine Hill

The Aventine
Early on a weekend afternoon, we started walking (naturally) down the hill past the Colosseum, past Il Vittoriano, around the Campidoglio, past the Theater of Marcellus, past the Tiber Island, and then to these gorgeous temples. The square temple is to Portunus, the god of harbors (this is right by the river, apparently an original port area). The lovely round Temple of Hercules (below) has been determined to be the oldest marble structure in Rome.

Opposite the temples is one of my favorite church towers, that of Santa Maria in Cosmedin.


Past this church is the Circus Maximus (yes, it does look like Chicago's Midway). Remember the chariot races from Ben Hur?

Up the hill on the right, one ascends into the palatial Aventine residential area, where there were numerous army guards with loaded rifles standing in front of residences for people like the American ambassador or the Canadian embassy. At the top of the hill is the home of the Knights of Malta, with the wonderful keyhole that perfectly frames the Vatican through the numerous arches of a garden. The views from the adjacent churchyard were stunning.