Largo di Torre Argentina

Largo di Torre Argentina is a square in Rome that hosts four Republican Roman temples, and the remains of Pompey's Theater. It is located in the ancient Campus Martius.

The name of the square comes from the "Torre Argentina", which takes its name from the city of Strasbourg, whose original name was "Argentoratum". In 1503, in fact, the Papal Master of Ceremonies Johannes Burckardt from Strasbourg built in "via del Sudario" a palace (now at number 44), called "Casa del Burcardo", to which the tower is annexed.

The other tower in the square is not the one giving the name to the place, but the Medieval "Torre del Papitto" ("Little Pope's Tower"), attributed by tradition to Antipope Anacletus II Pierleoni, allegedly not a tall person.

After Italian unification, it was decided to reconstruct part of Rome (1909), demolishing the zone of Torre Argentina. During the works (1927), however, the colossal head and arms of a marble statue were discovered. The archeological investigation brought to light the presence of a "holy area", dating to the Republican era, with four temples and part of Pompey's Theater.__NOTOC__

Roman temples

The four temples, originally designated by the letters "A", "B", "C", and "D", front onto a paved street, which was reconstructed in the imperial era, after the fire of AD 80. The area was delineated to the North by the "Hecatostylum" (one-hundred columns porch) and the Baths of Agrippa, and to the South by the buildings related to the Circus Flaminius, to the East by the great porched square of "Porticus Minucia Frumentaria", and to the West by the Theatre of Pompey.

"Temple A" was built in the 3rd century BC, and is probably the "Temple of Juturna" built by Gaius Lutatius Catulus after his victory against the Carthaginians in 241 BC. [This identification is preferred over the one as Temple of "Iuno Curritis", because Ovidius ("Fasti" I) says: "Te quoque lux eadem Turni soror aede recepit/Hic, ubi Virginea Campus obitur aqua", thus posing the temple of Juturna near the Aqua Virgo, which ended at the Baths of Agrippa.] It was later rebuilt into a church, whose apse is still present.

"Temple B", a circular temple with six columns remaining, was built by Quintus Lutatius Catulus in 101 BC to celebrate his victory over Cimbri; it was "Aedes Fortunae Huiusce Diei", a temple devoted to the "Luck of the Current Day". The colossal statue found during excavations and now kept in the Capitoline Museums was the statue of the goddess herself. Only the head, the arms, and the legs were of marble: the other parts, covered by the dress, were of bronze.

"Temple C" is the most ancient of the three, dating back to 4th or 3rd century BC, and was probably devoted to "Feronia" the ancient Italic goddess of fertility. After the fire of 80 AD, this temple was restored, and the white and black mosaic of the inner temple cell dates back to this restoration.

"Temple D" is the largest of the four, dates back to 2nd century BC with Late Republican restorations, and was devoted to "Lares Permarini", but only a small part of it has been excavated (a street covers the most of it).

18th century opera house

The Teatro Argentina is an 18th century opera house and theater located in the square. The premieres of many notable operas took place there. They include Gioachino Rossini's "The Barber of Seville" in 1816 and Giuseppe Verdi's "I due Foscari" in 1844 and "La battaglia di Legnano" in 1849.

The cat shelter

Located in the "Largo Argentina" is the Torre Argentina Cat Sanctuary, a no-kill shelter for homeless cats (of which Rome has many). The presence of the shelter proves to be a point of interest for both tourists and locals, as the historical area abounds with various breeds of cat, cavorting and lounging about on the ancient (and semi-ancient) ruins.

In recent years, foreign students with laser-pointers have been seen playing games with the cats, initiating chases and even inciting bouts of aggression among the resident felines.

The volunteers at the shelter give daily tours of the ruins at 4:30 PM (4:00 PM in winter). Although the tours are free they do ask for a small donation as they don't get any government funding and run strictly on donations.

In addition, you can adopt cats that the Shelter has saved and is supporting with food and vet services. If you do not live near, you can "adopt at a distance" which provides support for a cat who will likely not be adopted due to its age or disabilities.

External links

* [http://www.romancats.com Cat Sanctuary at the Largo di Torre Argentina]
* [http://www.teatrodiroma.net/teatroArgentina.asp Teatro Argentina official web site]

Notes