Until quite recently, the Roman forum occupied a single space in an area (called Campo Vaccino in the olden days… but that’s a story for another time!) that you can see today as split in two by Via dei Fori Imperiali.

What the building of that early 20th century road did, on top of destroying many invaluable Roman remains and a big chunk of the medieval city, was separating what was left of the different forums. This made a visit to all of them at the same time a physical impossibility.

While the debate over what to do with the road connecting Piazza Venezia and the Colosseum has never really died down, and there is discussion of dismantling the Via dei Fori Imperiali to restore the unity of the area, starting this month visitors to Rome will be able to visit both places at once through a new, 2 hours long dedicated route.

Called “Forum Pass“, this new ticket is now on sale on the Coopculture website at this address.

How the Forum Pass came to be

The road between the two areas is not the only issue – one of the Forums technically belongs to the city of Rome, while the other is a property of the Italian state. This far, each authority had handled its own forum separately (case in point: the Trajan Market Museum, which overlooks the Forum of Augustus, is managed by the city, whereas the Colosseum is managed by the state). The two bodies have been working for the past few years to overcome the red tape so as to offer visitors a single visiting experience!

What the Forum Pass includes (in the words of the mayor!)

Upon unveiling the new ticket, Rome’s mayor Virginia Raggi had this to say about the Forum Pass: “Today we are writing a piece of history: the Forums are finally united. We are giving citizens and tourists from all over the world the opportunity to enjoy a unique experience while visiting the Palatine, the Roman Forum, the Forum of Caesar and the Forum of Trajan. In the Eternal City you can live a cultural experience that encompasses 3000 years of history”.

The ticket will also include access to the temporary exhibitions being held on the Palatine Hill. It won’t include access to the Colosseum.

With the new ticket visitors will be able to access the Forums from:

• Largo Corrado Ricci
• Via Sacra, by the Arch of Titus
• Via di San Gregorio
• Via del Tulliano, by the Mamertine Prison
• Piazza Santa Maria di Loreto, by Trajan’s Column

Ticket holders will be able to go from one Forum to another in the section between Curia Julia, the Forum of Nerva and the Forum of Caesar, and will be able to visit for free on the same dates when the Colosseum has a free access. For 2019, the remaining dates are as follows:

• September 23
• October 4
• October 6
• November 3
• November 4
• November 21
• December 1
• December 18

If you want to visit Rome and take advantage of the newly launched Forum Pass, know that several of our managed accommodation are within walking distance from the area. Among them are Casa Isabella al Colosseo, Via dei Capocci and our newest addition, Via Mecenate.