The Theatre of Marcellus

This curve of travertine arches will look familiar: it resembles the Colosseum, and that's no coincidence. The Theatre of Marcellus is older. Julius Caesar planned it, and Augustus finished and dedicated it, around 13–11 BC, to the memory of Marcellus, his nephew and son-in-law, whom he had groomed as his heir and who died very young in 23 BC.

1A theatre with residents inside

It could hold thousands of spectators; estimates range from about 11,000 to 20,000. After the fall of the Empire its sheer solidity saved it: in the Middle Ages it became the stronghold of noble families, first the Fabi and then the Savelli. In the 16th century Baldassarre Peruzzi built a palace for the Savelli on top of the ancient arcades, which later passed to the Orsini. That is why you see two buildings stacked one on the other: below, two storeys of Roman arches; above, Renaissance windows. The upper floors are still private homes.

Next to the theatre stand three Corinthian columns from the Temple of Apollo Sosianus, set upright again in 1940.

2The end of the walk

A few steps away, around the Portico of Octavia, begins the old Jewish Ghetto, where carciofo alla giudia has been cooked for centuries. A good place to end the route and sit down for a meal.

3What to look for

• The two orders of arches, Doric below and Ionic above; the original third level has been lost.
• The windows of the Renaissance palace set into the ancient façade.
• The columns of the Temple of Apollo, to the right as you face the theatre.