Rome - December 28, 2011 - Palatine

Palatine Palace, bit...

The Palatine hill had been the residence of the wealthy and well to do of Rome since the earliest days of the republic (about 500 B.C.E), however it was when Augustus became Romes first emperor that it really came into its own.

The house of Augustus became the Palace of Tiberius, which became the much enlarged Flavian Palace, and then the massive Palace of Septimius Severus. By which time the palace had grown so large that the hill had to be extended on great supporting arches.

Much of the supporting arches are visible and rather well preserved as well as a section of aqueduct that ran across the sidewalk on the Via di San Gregorio. I like arches, and I don't care what Freud had to say about it.

Aqueduct...why was I staring into the sun?