Silent hill

Palatine Hill, or the Palatino, is the oldest and centermost among the famed seven hills of Rome. In addition to some of the city's first and grandest homes, the Palatino is also where the Roman Forum—the main square around which ancient Rome's public life revolved—were built.

Part of the Palatine Hill and Roman Forum are visible from one of the city's main thoroughfares. After snapping a couple of pictures of this exposed portion, I thought I had seen the Roman Forum. I came thisclose to skipping the whole thing... which would have been highly regrettable.

Marlon and I had also considered doing a quick skip through Palatine Hill after our visit to the Colosseum. It was a good thing we didn't, because wandering through the Palatino eventually took the greater part of an afternoon. 

There's a lot to wander through and absorb. Palatino is where the word palace comes from—because the earliest, truly palatial private residences of the Western world were built here, sort of like a Forbes Park (sige na nga, Upper East Side para sosyal!) of the Roman empire. The homes of the wealthiest and most powerful Romans would be considered impressive even by today's standards.

Much of what we saw on our meanderings were simply the brick understructures, devoid of ornament. Only a few fallen pillars and broken pieces of decoration remain to feed the imagination.

Imagine these walls clad in the purest, most expensive white marble, studded with carvings, mosaics and other minerals. Then imagine a whole hill full of these homes. #class

We attempted to tail an English-speaking tour group to find out as much as we could. Their guide splashed water on the pavement to reveal beautifully veined white marble. Marble sidewalks! #wow

Climbing Palatine Hill was hot work. Thankfully, the Romans built beautiful little public fountains everywhere. Many of them exist to this day, providing cool relief and drinkable water for overheated tourists.

We also sought shade under the many olive trees that dotted the hill. It was my first time to see them.

Palatine Hill encompasses both private homes and public spaces. The Stadium is one of the latter.

With just a little huffing and puffing, you get expansive views over Rome. Not just the Rome of today...

... but also the Rome of yesterday.

One of the most evocative and well-preserved spaces was the Casa delle Vestali, or the House of the Vestal Virgins. 

The Vestals were priestesses of Vesta, the Roman goddess of the hearth. They lived their whole lives as virgins, tending a sacred flame that could never go out. I loved Greek and Roman mythology growing up, so being in this space was a huge thrill for me.

For my ex-debater husband, it was a special experience to walk through the place where debate itself was born. By the way, the Forum was also the birthplace of Senate. So maybe I should've put aside my heady imaginings for a second to spit on its steps. This is for Enrile! And for Bong Revilla! And—PTOOOIE! Take that for Lito Lapid!



Seeing the Temple of Saturn looming over us was like coming face to face with a giant hand that had been held up to signal end of our visit. In the rays of the setting sun, what's left of the temple regains some of its former grandeur.

Even just a fraction of a corner of a single pillar is as big as I am.

Like this fallen chunk of temple, so many forgotten fragments of art and architecture are scattered around the ruins.

Each piece makes you ache to see things as they once were. Your mind begins to work to fill in the gaps, to somehow piece together the clues that time has left behind.

 To me this was the best thing about Palatine Hill: the fuel it pours into your imagination.

You really do feel like you're walking through a city. And what a beautiful, vibrant city it must have been in its day.

While its bustle and noise have been silenced, the beauty is still there, just... different.

Looking at the fragments that remain, such as in this temple, was like looking through cracks in time. 

I simply wished I could fall through those cracks. But all I can really do is stay on the outside, looking in. And I promise, I will always keep looking.