Julius Caesar's Assassination Site Just Opened to Tourists
The ruins in Rome's Largo Argentina are now open to the public.
That travelers are often drawn to the grimmest and darkest attractions on their trips isn't really a novelty. Think about Pompeii for example, where visitors every year gather in multitude to witness first-hand a historical site that was created by a tragic volcanic explosion. Or, to make mention of something closer to today's date, you can think about the infamous Alcatraz Federal Penitentiary in San Francisco, where tourists still flock to this day.
There is a name for it, and it's called dark tourism. The name says it all—it's the kind of tourism linked to visiting places that are historically associated with tragedy. While it might sound bad at first (talk about rubbernecking!), it doesn't have to be.
Dark tourism oftentimes has more to do with the historical and cultural relevance of the landmark visited, rather than the tragedy per se. Learning about the history and the consequences of a world tragedy can be a powerful educational tool, and as such, it can help people from different communities understand the various social, cultural, and at times even economical nuances that are encapsulated in a specific site.
With this in mind, tourists can now visit the famous site where Julius Caesar was assassinated in Italy—and it's everything but grim, as Artnet reports. Located in Largo Argentina (Argentina Square) in Rome, four temples making up the Sacred Area are now open to the public. The ruins also contain, in part, Pompey's Curia, the hall that once hosted the Roman Senate where Julius Caesar was actually murdered in 44 BC.
Before, tourists were only allowed to see the landmark from above. The ruins were only discovered in 1929 in an excavation effort, and since their original creation in ancient Rome, the street level rose by several meters above the area, with the city being built on top of it layer after layer.
Now, thanks to the help of luxury jeweler Bulgari, which provided the necessary funding, the city built a structure featuring wooden pathways among the temple ruins, and visitors are now able to walk inside the landmark rather than just looking at it from above. And according to experts, the temples are worth visiting, too—they are "one of the best-preserved remains of the Roman Republic," Claudio Parisi Presicce, archaeologist and Rome's top official for cultural heritage, said at the inauguration ceremony on Monday, according to the Associated Press.
In addition to the temples and Caesar's assassination site, visitors can expect to find a few artifacts as well, including a stone head of one of the deities venerated in the temples and a ruin of a stone-made winged angel of victory. Plus, as an added treat, they'll find a colony of cats, which over time took over the ruins and made it its actual home (and yes, you can feed them, too!).
The ruins are open Tuesdays through Sundays (excluding some major holidays), and they're both wheelchair- and stroller-accessible (there is also an elevator platform). Tickets for entry cost 5 € (roughly $5.50).
Looking for more travel tips?
Whether you need help sneaking weed onto a plane, finding an airport where you can sign up for PreCheck without an appointment, or making sure you’re getting everything you’re entitled to when your flight is canceled, we’ve got you covered. Keep reading for up-to-date travel hacks and all the travel news you need to help you plan your next big adventure.