Parco del Celio, Public park near Colosseum in Rome, Italy.
Parco del Celio sits on the Caelian Hill with pathways that wind past ancient temple foundations and viewing areas overlooking the Colosseum and Roman Forum. The grounds include a museum displaying ancient marble fragments and incorporate both classical remains and modern installations into a single landscape.
Emperor Septimius Severus commissioned a giant marble map of Rome called Forma Urbis Romae between 203 and 211 AD, and its fragments remain buried on this hill. The site also contains foundations from the Temple of Claudius built in the first century AD, connecting multiple periods of Roman building.
The park sits on a hillside where ancient Romans once built temples and palaces that shaped the city below. From here, you can see how these ruins connect to the broader layout of Rome.
The park is open daily and offers free entry, though hours vary by season. The terrain is hilly with uneven surfaces around ancient foundations, so sturdy walking shoes work better than lighter footwear.
The park preserves first-century Temple of Claudius foundations barely visible beneath the modern landscaping and pathways. A 19th-century villa called Casina del Salvi sits among these foundations, showing how later periods built directly atop Roman structures without fully removing what came before.
The community of curious travelers
AroundUs brings together thousands of curated places, local tips, and hidden gems, enriched daily by 60,000 contributors worldwide.
