Twilight Walk the Other Way: Monti to Piazza Venezia

Almost every walk in ancient Rome starts at Piazza Venezia and ends at the Colosseum. This one runs the other way, and the difference is more than administrative. Starting in Monti means beginning in a lived-in quarter rather than at a monument: narrow streets, workshops, people eating outside, the part of the centre that still functions as a neighbourhood. From there the route drops down to the Colosseum and the Arch of Constantine, walks the length of the imperial forums past Trajan's Column and his market, and climbs at the end to the Capitoline for the view back over everything you have just walked through. That final view is the argument for the direction. Arriving at the terrace above the Forum after seeing it from ground level is a different experience from starting there, and at twilight the lights come on while you are standing on it. The guides are the operator's own selling point, and what they are good at is the material that is not on the information boards. The meeting point is Piazza della Madonna dei Monti, by the fountain, a short walk from Cavour on metro line B. Two phone numbers are provided if you cannot find it: +39 392 229 9250 and +39 328 765 3883.