Pantheon - Basilica of Neptun - Temples of Piazza Argentina - Crypta of Balbus
	In the area corresponding to the old "Fields of Mars", old Roman neighbourhood,  ruins lay buried under almost every building. It was once one of the most crowded quarters of Rome, monumental and popular at the same time....

Our visit starts from the Pantheon (not to be confused with the Greek Parthenon) the incredible round temple built under emperor Hadrian, whose concrete dome is the widest in the word (5 feet more than St. Peter’s). From there, passing the Basilica of Neptune, we reach Piazza Argentina, once a large square surrounded by a porch and with four imposing temples in the centre. On one side of the square were the counters of the “frumentationes”, the free corn distributions to which roman citizens were entitled, on the other the famous Theatre of Pompey.
Just across the road we’ll descend several meters down and many centuries back into the Crypta Balbi, an ample pillared portico built in 13 BC by Cornelius Balbus on the side of a small theatre.
On the eastern side of the porch there were houses and workshops and even a Sanctuary of Mithra. Diggings have documented how in these buildings, transformed and reused several times, life has continued uninterrupted from Antiquity, trough the Middle Ages and the Renaissance, to the present days. The visit of the finds exhibition will complete this interesting experience.

 Photo gallery

 Reservation

No reservation required

 Entrance Fee

Entrance fee to the Crypta Balbi 7,00 euros. With the same ticket you can visit the Archaeological Museums of Palazzo Massimo and Palazzo Altemps and the Baths of Diocletian. The ticket is valid 3 days.

 Transportation

No required. All the sites are into a walking distance.

 Walking difficulty

A few stairs in the Crypta Balbi. Parcially accesible to wheel chairs.

 Duration

The tour takes a little longer on Saturdays and Sundays when the new "scavi" in the complex of the Crypta Balbi are open to the public (closed on week days)