The Mouth of Truth

Under the porch of the church of Santa Maria in Cosmedin, a marble face about 1.75 metres across is waiting for you, its eyes, nose and mouth pierced right through. This is the Mouth of Truth, the Bocca della Verità, and the queue in front of it has only one purpose: to put a hand in its mouth.

1What it really was

The disc dates from Roman times, is carved in pavonazzetto marble and shows the bearded face of a god, probably a river god or Oceanus. The most widely accepted theory is that it was a drain cover, with rainwater running away through the mouth. In 1632, during building work on the church, it was set up here in the porch.

2The legend of the liar

As early as the 12th century, the pilgrims' guide Mirabilia Urbis Romae credited it with oracular powers. Later the idea spread that the mouth would close on the hand of anyone who swore falsely, above all wives suspected of infidelity. Some medieval versions even claim it was made by a magician named Virgil to unmask adulterers.

According to a popular tale, one unfaithful wife managed to fool it: her lover, pretending to be mad, hugged her in public, so she could swear that only her husband and that madman had ever touched her.

Cinema did the rest. In «Roman Holiday» (1953), Gregory Peck hides his hand up his sleeve and gives Audrey Hepburn a fright: a scene that went round the world and filled the porch with visitors.

3What to look for

• The eyes and mouth of the mask, polished smooth by centuries of hands.
• The church's Romanesque bell tower, from the 12th century, with its tiers of arched windows.
• The two Roman temples across the square, one round and one rectangular, among the best preserved in the city.