Largo di Torre Argentina

Largo di Torre Argentina

Largo di Torre Argentina is a big open space in Rome, Italy. It has four important temples from ancient Roman times and the remains of Pompey's Theatre. This area was part of the old Campus Martius.

The square's name comes from the Torre Argentina, or Silver Tower, which was named after the city of Strasbourg. In 1503, a man named Johannes Burckardt from Strasbourg built a palace nearby.

One famous event that happened here was when Julius Caesar was killed. The exact spot where this happened is believed to be in this square.

When workers were preparing to demolish part of Rome in 1927, they found important ancient statues and ruins. This led to the discovery of a sacred area with four temples and part of Pompey's Theatre.

In 2019, Rome's mayor Virginia Raggi announced plans to let people walk through the ruins and see them up close.

Roman temples

Largo di Torre Argentina is a special place in Rome, Italy, where you can find four ancient temples and parts of an old theatre. These temples were built a long time ago, during a time called the Roman Republic.

Temple A was built around the year 300 BC and might have been a place to honor a goddess named Juturna. Temple B is round and was built to honor the goddess Fortuna Huiusce Diei, meaning "the Fortune of This Day." Temple C is the oldest and was likely devoted to Feronia, a goddess of fertility. Temple D is the biggest and was for the Lares Permarini, protectors of sailors. Only a small part of Temple D has been dug up, as a street covers most of it.

Each temple has its own story and shows us how people lived and worshipped many years ago.

18th century opera house

The Teatro Argentina is an old opera house from the 1700s in the square. Many famous operas had their first shows there. These 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.

Cat shelter

The Torre Argentina Cat Sanctuary is in Temple D of the Largo di Torre Argentina. It began in 1993 and helps about 350 cats with programs for sterilization and adoption. The shelter follows laws from the Italian Parliament in 1991 to keep cats safe and cared for. Even though some archaeologists would like to remove the shelter to protect the old ruins, it is still open and helping cats.