Forum Holitorium, Ancient Roman vegetable market at Capitoline Hill, Italy
The Forum Holitorium is an ancient archaeological site in Rome that once served as an open vegetable and food market at the foot of the Capitoline Hill, near the Tiber River. The remains of three Republican-era temples are still visible today, as they were incorporated over the centuries into the walls of the Church of San Nicola in Carcere.
The Forum Holitorium dates back to the early Roman Republic, making it one of the oldest market areas in the city. In the medieval period, the Church of San Nicola in Carcere was built directly over the three temples, reusing their walls and columns as part of the new structure.
The Forum Holitorium was not an enclosed market but an open area where the daily life of the city played out in public. Today, this character is best seen from outside the Church of San Nicola in Carcere, where ancient columns still stand embedded in the church walls.
The best way to explore the site is by visiting the Church of San Nicola in Carcere, which houses the ancient structures. Several columns and walls of the old temples are visible from the outside as well, so a short walk around the building rewards a closer look before entering.
The three temples on the site were each dedicated to a different deity, even though they stood side by side and shared the same market area. One of them, the Temple of Janus, is one of the few temples in Rome associated with this god, who was rarely worshipped in his own dedicated building.
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