Theatre of Marcellus

Overview

Looming heavily near the Jewish Ghetto, the Teatro di Marcello is a massive, incredibly striking ancient Roman open-air theater. Often deeply confused with the Colosseum by passing tourists, its architecture is utterly unique because it seamlessly features an aristocratic Renaissance palace completely built into its upper floors.

Highlights

• The Arches: Looking massively similar to the Colosseum (which was built 80 years later and heavily copied its design), the theater features perfectly preserved tiers of robust Doric and elegant Ionic columns.
• The Orsini Palace: Look directly up to see the heavily fortified, entirely functional 16th-century luxury apartments sitting bizarrely and heavily directly on top of the ancient classical arches.
• The Setting: It sits right next to the three standing, highly elegant classical columns belonging to the ruins of the Temple of Apollo Sosianus.

History

Begun by Julius Caesar and brilliantly completed by Emperor Augustus in 13 BC, it was dedicated to Augustus's deeply beloved nephew and presumed heir, Marcellus, who died tragically young. In its prime, it held 20,000 wildly cheering spectators. During the insanely violent medieval period, the powerful Orsini family ruthlessly seized the massive stone ruins and converted them into an impenetrable, fortified castle to survive the Roman gang wars.

Visitor Tips

• The Walk: You cannot actually go inside the monument, but you can walk freely completely around the massive stone base along a beautiful, deeply historical pathway leading into the Jewish Ghetto.
• Illumination: It is spectacularly, brilliantly lit up at night, creating a vastly more dramatic, moody scene than during the bright daytime.