Roman holiday: A trip back in time

Walking in Rome is not an unadulterated pleasure, because many others are doing the same. At the wrong time of day the main thoroughfares are packed, and you venture into the side streets at your peril. The crossing of waggons in the narrow winding streets, the cursing competitions of drovers when brought to a standstill, however we might try to hurry, we are blocked by a surging crowd in front, and by a dense mass of people pressing in on us from behind. But choose a quiet time of day, when the brick is honey-brown in the sunlight, and pigeons cluster on the red-tiled roofs, and Rome can be a magical place.

Start on the northern slopes of the Palatine with the Arch of Titus at your back, walking up an ancient road called the Clivus Palatinus. The road will be thronged with courtiers and petitioners to the imperial court, together with merchants seeking contracts and local tradesmen who already supply the palace. The first stop is the Cryptoporticus of Nero. A cryptoporticus is a gallery which, being semi-underground, remains cool even in midsummer. The tyrant emperor's gallery was lavishly decorated in stucco and allowed him to stroll in comfort down the hill to his magnificent Golden House.

At the Cryptoporticus, turn towards the first of the great imperial palaces of the Palatine, the Domus Tiberiana, which covers much of the west side of the hill. Beyond the Domus Tiberiana is the Temple of Magna Mater (the Great Mother), the route to which goes past the very oldest part of Rome, the hut of Romulus himself. This crude hut, with its thatched roof and mud walls, may seem artificial amid the imperial splendour, but later excavations will reveal that there was indeed a settlement here in the seventh century BC when Romulus is said to have lived on the Palatine with his wife Hersilia.

On the central part of the hill is the Domus Augustana, once home to the emperor Augustus. Before Augustus, the Palatine housed many elite Roman households. Cicero lived here, as did Mark Antony, and the emperor Tiberius was born on this hill in 42BC. But the Palatine was gradually taken over by Augustus' ever-expanding palace and temples such as that to Apollo, resplendent in gleaming white marble with doors of gold and ivory, its inner room packed with treasure and priceless statuary, such as the Diana of Timotheus and the magnificent Apollo of Skopas. This temple is closely integrated with Augustus' palace. In fact, from the emperor's private study there is a good view of both the temple and the Circus Maximus. His palace was considerably remodelled by Domitian, who was so unpopular that he had highly polished stone mirrors placed on the columns of the porticoes to spot assassins creeping up behind him. (Which did not help - he was assassinated in AD96.) Just beyond Augustus' house is the separate residence of his wife Livia. Some beautiful frescoes, said to be from this house, survive in Roman museums 2,000 years later.

For now, the walk has to detour eastwards to avoid work on a huge artificial platform overlooking the Circus Maximus which is being built so that the emperor can enjoy the excitement of the races without leaving home. There is still more construction downhill where the Baths of Livia are being augmented and further baths added. The walk finishes beneath the arches of the Aqua Claudia, having completed the greater part of a large circle. The Colosseum is now on the left, and the Circus Maximus behind to the right. It is a short walk to the Forum Boarium where the walk along the Tiber begins.

To walk along the Tiber, start in the thronged market of the Forum Boarium beside the bronze bull which would tell you, if the noise and smell had not already done so, that this is Rome's main cattle market. It lies between the Forum and the Clivus Publicus, the main road from the Aventine hill, and also takes traffic from the south of the Palatine and the valley of the Circus Maximus, so the crowds are often dense.

While moving through the market, keep an eye on those cattle with hay tied on their horns, for this indicates a particularly dangerous beast. At the upstream end of the market is the Sublician bridge, the oldest of the bridges of Rome. Here Horatius is said to have held out heroically against the Etruscan soldiers of king Tarquin who tried to destroy Rome's nascent Republic. Rome's priests are called Pontifices (pontiffs) because of their connection with this bridge, any damage to which is seen as a sign from the gods. The bridge is made of wood without iron or stone now as a matter of tradition, but originally because the wooden framework made it easier to pull down in the face of an advancing enemy.

After crossing the river, turn right and walk along the Tiber. The river is reaching the end of its 250- mile journey to the sea, and has now slowed sufficiently to drop some of the silt which gives it a colour which the Romans call Tiber Yellow, and it twists snakelike through the city. A line of stones (cippi, as used for the pomerium) marks the limits of the authority of the commissioners who control the banks and ensure the smooth flow of the river - not always successfully.

The west bank is the unfashionable side, and when the wind is in the wrong direction it carries the stench of the tanneries which are banned from more prestigious parts of town. The Tiber itself can smell pretty ripe too, since the Romans discharge or dump much of their sewage into "Father Tiber" and let it carry dead dogs, rubbish and the occasional human corpse out of the city. Despite this, the Romans are not averse to an occasional dip in the river. This attracts a certain amount of interest, since public nudity is rare in Rome. Cicero remarked to one lady: "You have gardens on the Tiber. You deliberately selected that particular site because they are at the very place where all the young men go swimming."

Return to the east bank of the river over the Aemilian bridge, the oldest stone bridge in the city, built in about 142BC. The bridge was restored by Augustus, and it is probably his handiwork which will survive into 20th-century Rome as a lonely arch in the middle of the river.

A few hundred yards upstream, is the Theatre of Marcellus, dedicated by Augustus in about 17BC to the memory of his recently deceased nephew of that name. Seating over 14,000 spectators, this is the grandest of Rome's stone theatres. On the walls of the first floor, between each arch, one mask is carved, each a representative of the theatrical repertoire: 10 from comedy, five from tragedy, and five from satyr plays. The Theatre of Marcellus is now only a few centuries into its journey through the millennia in which it will become a fortress, a noble house, and finally a set of residential apartments.

Turning back to the river, cross over the Fabrician bridge to the Tiber island. This is where the river divides to flow around a rocky spur of the Capitoline hill. For many years this island was considered cursed, and suitable only for social outcasts. Then the Romans brought a statue of the god of healing to their city in 292BC. As the attendants on the ship carrying the god's sacred snake prepared for their arrival, the snake escaped over the side. It swam to the island, and there the god's temple was built in deference to his obvious intention.

To commemorate the snake's aquatic adventure, the island has been made into roughly the shape of a ship, forever sailing downstream with the temple at the bows. This temple is crowded, for it is the nearest Rome has to a hospital (and there will be one on the island ever afterwards).

Leave the island by the Cestian bridge (built in the 60s BC at the same time as the Fabrician on the opposite bank) and go upstream to where the emperor Hadrian lies buried in Rome's biggest tomb. It is a most notable sight, made of Parian marble with the stones fitted together so closely that no joints are visible. It has four equal sides, each a stone's throw (300 feet) in length, and of a height greater than the city wall. At the top is a massive statue of the emperor riding a four-horse chariot.

Before Hadrian, Rome's emperors were generally buried in the mausoleum of Augustus, but this had no more room. So unless Rome was to fill up with imperial burial markers such as Trajan's column, another repository for imperial corpses had to be found, and Hadrian's mausoleum (built in AD134) has room enough for another century's worth of emperors. Leave the tomb by the Aelian bridge which connects Hadrian's memorial with the city. Ahead lies the final section of the walk, to the Pantheon and the Campus Martius.

In addition to its natural beauty, the Campus Martius has been made yet more attractive by careful planning. The size of the Campus is truly remarkable. There is space not only for the chariot races and all kinds of other equestrian exercises, but also for the crowds of people who exercise by ball-playing, trundling and wrestling. The works of art dotted around the field, the ground (which is grassy throughout the year), and the tops of the hills that loom over the river and stretch down to the banks all make it look like a stage backdrop - a spectacle that you can hardly take your eyes off. And near this there is another area enclosed with numerous colonnades, and sacred precincts, and three theatres, and an amphitheatre, and magnificently furnished temples, one after another, so close together that they seem to be trying to make the rest of the city seem a mere suburb.

Because they believe that this is the holiest place of all, here the Romans have chosen to place the tombs of their most illustrious men and women. The most noteworthy is called the mausoleum of Augustus. This is a great mound near the river on a high foundation of white marble, thickly covered with evergreen trees, with a bronze image of Augustus Caesar at the very top. Beneath are the tombs of Augustus, his friends and his family, and behind the mound is a large sacred precinct with wonderful promenades.

The Campus Martius (which most Romans call simply "the Campus") lies mostly between the Quirinal hill and the Tiber in the direction of the Vatican fields. As Strabo says, it is an ideal escape from the noise and crowds of the city, even if buildings and monuments have restricted the open space considerably in recent years.

It is believed that these fields were once owned by the kings of Rome, and on their expulsion the new Republic dedicated the land to Mars. It was an appropriate choice of deity, for even now young men practise horse-riding, being taken carefully by their instructors through the manoeuvres they will soon be executing as cavalrymen of Rome. In the days of the Republic this was also where the Roman people gathered to elect their senior magistrates and to vote on issues of peace or war. Here the Romans met ambassadors who were not entitled to enter the city since the Campus lies beyond the pomerium.

Start at the Theatre of Pompey, built by Julius Caesar's great rival in 55BC. Spend an hour or two among the gardens and colonnades of the theatre, and admire the temple at the top which made it possible. At the time it was built, stone theatres were forbidden in Rome, so Pompey's architect made the stone benches of the theatre ostensibly steps leading to the temple. This little temple has the grandest staircase in the world, since over 10,000 people can sit on the "steps" to watch a performance on the stage below. If time permits, look at the Circus Flaminius.

As well as a temple to Mars, and an even older one to Bellona, the ancient goddess of war, you can find temples to the many exotic gods of the different peoples of the empire, which Roman piety does not permit within the city itself. This perambulation should finish at the twin pillars of bronze before the mausoleum of Augustus. On these pillars Augustus had inscribed his Res Gestae, an account of his life and achievements, carefully edited to show Rome's first emperor in the best possible light.

To the north there is another grand obelisk which is in fact the pointer of a giant sundial. This too was designed by Augustus and, on his birthday, the shadow of the obelisk points directly at the Ara Pacis, Augustus' altar of peace, one of the finest examples of Roman sculpture ever created. The altar dates from 9BC. It is enclosed by walls of white marble on which are carved bas-reliefs of garlands and flowers. Above this are reliefs of the imperial family, the priests, senators and Roman people going in procession to give thanks for the blessings of the Roman peace.

Not by coincidence, this complex lies alongside the Via Flaminia. Those entering or leaving the city by that great highway are greeted or sent on their way by this evocative memorial, a symbol of all that is splendid in the capital of the world, the Rome of the Caesars.

WHAT TO BUY

Olive oil turns up in a variety of forms, including salad dressing, lamp fuel, cooking oil and detergent

Watch out for mullet - it comes from special farms and can be absurdly expensive

Some of the best woollen produce comes from Cisalpine Gaul - avoid clothes made of cheap brown wool from southern Italy unless you want to be mistaken for a slave

The best place for fresh vegetables in Rome is the Forum Holitorium, near the Porta Carmentalis (in the north, between the Capitoline and the river)

WHAT TO PACK

When meeting Romans, knowing the basics of what to wear and what to eat will help to avoid unnecessary social embarrassment. Nothing is guaranteed to ruin a good dinner party like a guest who turns up wrongly dressed, and then blanches (or worse) when confronted with sow's udders stuffed with giant African snails.

On less formal occasions, Romans of every age and social class wear tunics. Unless on a formal visit, there is no need to pack a toga, and only Roman citizens are entitled to wear one anyway. The toga is stiflingly hot in summer and draughty in winter. It is also heavy, being of wool and three times the wearer's height by 10 feet across. This forms a large semicircle, which is worn by putting the straight edge over the left shoulder and wrapping it around one's back. Because it has no fastenings, unless the left elbow is kept bent, the whole thing comes unravelled.

KEEPING SAFE

Rome does not have a police force. This is perfectly normal for an ancient city, and it means that there is a clear distinction between "law and order", which is the job of the government, and "crime prevention", which is the job of the community. The system works because, despite appearing to strangers as a swarming ant hill of humanity, Rome is actually a mosaic of tightly knit communities in which everyone knows everyone else's business. Also, a draconian punishment system cuts down on offenders - and does so literally.

MEDICAL EMERGENCIES

Those who know little of medicine in Rome, or in the ancient world as a whole, are advised to treasure their ignorance of things like Roman catheters and obstetric instruments. The best advice for those falling unexpectedly sick in Rome is - don't.

WHAT TO EAT

"I've wined, I've dined, I've concubined"

- Plautus, The Brothers Menaechmus, c. 200BC

Food is important to the Romans, and the taking of it is generally a social occasion. Despite Martial's fantasies, meat is not an important part in the diet of most Romans, but vegetables and cheeses are plentiful. With growing prosperity, many Romans eat meat once a week or more, usually poultry, but also pork and beef.

Between the hills in the densely populated valleys of working-class Rome, it seems as though every second street-front shop is an eatery of some description. Some sell specialist snacks for one of Rome's many ethnic groups; others offer full-scale meals for the patrons relaxing under the awnings. Wine is freely available, as are delicacies such as dates imported from Africa and Palmyra. Try, for instance, dulcia domestica, a delicious dessert of pitted dates stuffed with dried fruit, nuts, cake crumbs and spices, all soaked in fruit juice or wine.

Foodstuffs you won't find in Rome include tomatoes, potatoes, peanuts, rice, cane sugar, chocolate, distilled liquor - and pasta.

Some foods come a long way, such as spices from the Orient and walnuts and special bread from Persia. Snails are a delicacy, and special farms breed them in large numbers.

LOCAL DISH

GLIRES

Lean pork

Dormouse meat trimmings (if you have no dormouse, gerbil or hamster will do)

Ground black pepper

Mixed nuts

Several leaves of laser (rocket/arugula is an acceptable substitute)

A soupçon of liquamen

Pound the mixture until it makes a rough paste suitable for forcing into your dormouse. Put the animal, once stuffed, in an earthen casserole dish. Boil in a pot with stock. Alternatively, you can roast in the oven. (Take care not to let the ears burn!)

GETTING AROUND

Don't expect to travel the roads in comfort. Sprung suspensions are almost non-existent, and most vehicle axles have a mere handful of fat to allow them to turn on their bearings. The squeal of badly greased axles will be a constant companion along the roads to Rome (though heavy carts are not allowed to enter the city itself during the day). Horses are rare, are generally used only by the imperial post and the army, and are not particularly comfortable anyway, given the rudimentary Roman saddles and total lack of stirrups (which won't arrive in Italy for another few centuries). However, those who choose to walk, as many do, might obtain a donkey to carry the luggage.

If travelling as a couple, consider a birota, which as the name suggests (bi rota means "two wheels") is a light and relatively speedy two-wheeler - the nearest most travellers will get to a chariot. These (often fantastically ornamented) sports cars of antiquity are more often rich kids' toys than serious people-carriers.

A travelling family should consider a carruca dormitoria, a large covered wagon in which everyone can sleep, so saving the cost of staying overnight at an inn. The very rich will want a litter, or at least a sedan chair, carried in relays by four to eight slaves, with a footman clearing the peasants from the road before them. Early in the Roman Republic, litters were considered suitable only for the sick and the seriously degenerate, but lately this mode of transport has become more acceptable.

Since Rome operates without street signs - on the friendly principle that if you don't know where you are, you probably don't belong and shouldn't be there - some basic grasp of city navigation is essential.

The Romans navigate by their hills. You may hear phrases like "Aulus lives on the Caelian", or "It's one of those shops in the Quirinal-Viminal valley", so it is important to know which hills are where.

AT THE CIRCUS MAXIMUS

If gladiator fights are the Romans' passion, chariot races are their obsession. Nothing can match the atmosphere as about 200,000 tightly packed race fans fervently roar on the best riders in the world as they throw their tiny chariots through death-defying manoeuvres. The circus is one of Rome's oldest places of entertainment. It was established in the time of the kings, almost a thousand years ago, and has been rebuilt several times since. Unlike the rigid seating plan at the amphitheatre, seating at the hippodrome is mostly a matter of arriving early and scrummaging through the crowd. For major events, such as the Ludi Romani in September, many Romans prefer to watch the races while picnicking on the southern slopes of the Palatine, which have a view over the circus. The charioteers are in teams: red, white, green and blue. Almost everyone in Rome supports one or another of these. Betting is intense, and support is passionate. Just the suspicion that a race has been fixed is enough to cause rioting. Usually 12 chariots start the race from staggered boxes so that the outside teams are not at a disadvantage. "Single entry" races are where each team enters a single chariot. Dozens of charioteers die every year in the races - their chariots are little more than platforms on wheels, and crashes are frequent. For these men, the maxim "live fast, die young" is a literal truth.

INSIDE THE COLOSSEUM

Whether or not a visitor attends the games while staying in Rome is a matter of personal ethics. Only a small percentage of the city's population attends any particular session of the games. Many do not go because they can't get the tickets, but others just don't want to. Yet, terrible as the arena is, its horrors are offered with a panache seldom, if ever, equalled in human history and the spectacle may yet suck you in.

Despite the 50,000 to 80,000 people packing the stands, from almost every angle the arena is surprisingly personal, its elliptical shape helping to bring spectators closer to the action. The floor of the arena is one of the most blood-soaked places on earth. At least 100 humans and more than twice that many animals have died for every single one of its 48,440 square feet. Don't expect women gladiators, as these were recently banned, though female dancers strut their stuff between the bloodier acts.

The noxii, public executions, are for the lowest of the low. Damnatio ad bestias is for those considered human beasts: poisoners, rapists, bandits and military deserters. The condemned are not let loose in the arena, but usually attached to stakes together with a description of their crimes.

PROSTITUTION & BROTHELS

Prostitution has a long history in Rome. The founders of the city, Romulus and Remus, were suckled by a she-wolf, a story that gains credibility with the discovery that the slang for prostitute is lupa. Even in these times, such she-wolves recruit many youngsters for their trade by saving them from death by exposure.

The streets of Rome contain an astounding and abundant display of explicit erotica in everyday contexts, from obscene wall paintings in the baths to the bread-seller's loaves shaped as male and female genitalia.

Prostitutes are everywhere in Rome. They have their fornices under the arches of public buildings, including, as we have seen, the Colosseum. They are especially numerous around temples, which affords Christian writers some biting analogies.

Some prostitutes are named after their preferred habitat, such as the bustuariae - "grave watchers" - who practise in cemeteries, sometimes within the tombs themselves. At the top of the profession are meretrices, often companions to the cream of society.

Lupae occupy a lupanaria - a "she-wolves' den" or a full-time brothel.

Street girls are scorta erratica ("wandering sluts"), and at the bottom of the heap are the diabolariae, literally "two-bit whores" . As it is in most times and cultures, the work is dangerous and degrading, and in Rome many prostitutes are literally sex slaves.

There are a few sexual diseases that the tourist needs to be aware of. The risk of herpes, chlamydia and other genital infections rises as customers go downmarket. (Upper-class establishments employ a shuttle service of waterboys from the fountains so the girls can wash down after each customer. Top brothels are directly plugged into an aqueduct, indicating an institution that is well connected in every way.) For the upper classes, it's embarrassing to patronise a brothel, but because brothel-creeping is for the common folk, not because it is entertainment.

WHERE TO STAY

The best class of overnight accommodation is a hospitium, though even there expect the furnishing to be sparse. Travellers must share their accommodation with as many people as the landlord can cram in, and bedbugs too. If travelling on the cheap, choose a caupona and share with the local ne'er-do-wells and a lower class of bedbug. Also, ask around for private houses that take overnight guests. One such house has a plaque which states, pithily: "If you are clean and neat, you'll find a room waiting for you here. If you're a slob, well, I blush to say it, but you are welcome as well. " Remember to keep a keen eye on your property in these rooms.

The ideal apartment is on the first floor, secure from thieves, but easy to bring water and goods to. It is also low enough for the occupants to jump to safety in the event of a fire or a partial collapse. An edict of Trajan keeps the height of apartment blocks to under 58 feet, and Nero introduced fire regulations, but the one rule to remember is never to rent before a careful inspection.

The Romans have a habit of siting cesspits uncomfortably close to wells, so it will come as a relief to know that Rome itself has an extensive sewer system which is regularly flushed with waste water from the aqueducts. The oldest and largest of Rome's sewers is the Cloaca Maxima, which runs under the Forum and is large enough to take a boat through, if that is your idea of fun. Many apartment buildings have gravity-feed facilities connected to the sewers or to a central cesspit, but many others make use of the tried and trusted chamber pot. Sometimes ordure is collected for agricultural purposes; in other places it is simply dumped in the streets.

Try to find lodgings close to a public bath, where a constant stream of waste water from the baths runs under the toilet seat, which is a bench with strategically situated holes on which you can sit and exchange the gossip of the day with fellow patrons. Watch for youths whose idea of a joke is to ignite a hank of wool soaked in oil in an upstream toilet. Having this burning mass sail just under your posterior can effectively ruin your day.

SLAVES

Be cautious in dealing with slaves, and remember that the Romans regard slavery as an unfortunate affliction that might happen to anyone. Before being rude to someone because he is "only a slave", remember that he might also be a good friend of his master - some slaves even go on to become the adopted children or heirs of their former owners.

ETIQUETTE

Roman society is stunningly snobbish and class-conscious. On receiving an invitation to dinner, check whether this is a cena, a full dinner, or a symposium - a drinking party with snacks. If it's the former, enquire whether the drinking will be "Greek style" (ie heavy), as this might necessitate a litter for the journey home. Guests are expected to bring their own napkins. Romans eat mostly with their fingers.

USEFUL PHRASES

Estne juxtim caupona? Is there a tavern nearby?

Da mihi fermentum Give me a beer

Ad multos annos! Cheers!

Nomen mihi est Livia. Salve! Hi! My name's Livia

In quanam parte templum Iovis est? Where is the temple of Jupiter?

Scorpio sum - quod signum tibi es? I'm a Scorpio, what sign are you?

Mihi pecuniam monstra Show me the money

Quantum est? How much is that?

In hac tunica obesa videbor? Will I look fat in this tunic?

Noli me necare, cape omnias pecunias meas Don't kill me, here's all my money

This is an edited extract from 'Ancient Rome on Five Denarii a Day' by Philip Matyszak, published by Thames & Hudson (price £12.95). To order a copy for the special price of £11.50 (including p&p), call Independent Books Direct on 08700 798 897, or visit www. independentbooksdirect.co.uk

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