Insula dell’Ara Coeli

The Insula dell'Ara Coeli is one of the few surviving examples of an insula, the kind of apartment blocks where many Roman city dwellers resided. It was built during the 2nd century AD, and rediscovered under an old church when Benito Mussolini initiated a plan for massive urban renewal of Rome's historic Capitoline Hill neighbourhood.

Photo: Lalupa, Public domain.

Type: Tourist attraction
Description: Historic landmark of ancient Rome
Also known as: “Insula Romana”

Places of Interest Nearby

Highlights include Santa Maria in Aracoeli and Capitoline Hill.

Santa Maria in Aracoeli

Church

Photo: ThePhotografer, CC BY-SA 4.0.

The Basilica of Saint Mary of the Altar in Heaven is a titular basilica and conventual church of the Franciscan Convent of Aracoeli located the highest summit of the Capitoline Hill in Rome, Italy.

Capitoline Hill

Square

Photo: Kameister, CC BY-SA 4.0.

Piazza del Campidoglio is a public square on the top of the ancient Capitoline Hill, between the Roman Forum and the Campus Martius in Rome, Italy. The square includes three main buildings, the Palazzo Senatorio also known as the Comune di Roma Capitale, and… Capitoline Hill is situated 120 metres southeast of Insula dell’Ara Coeli.

Piazza Venezia

Square

Photo: Zavijavah, CC BY-SA 3.0.

Piazza Venezia is a central hub of Rome, Italy, in which several thoroughfares intersect, including the Via dei Fori Imperiali and the Via del Corso. It takes its name from the Palazzo Venezia, built by the Venetian Cardinal, Pietro Barbo alongside the church of Saint Mark, the patron saint of Venice. Piazza Venezia is situated 220 metres north of Insula dell’Ara Coeli.

Places in the Area

Nearby places include Capitoline Hill and Palatine Hill.

Capitoline Hill

Locality

Photo: Tetraktys, CC BY-SA 3.0.

The Capitolium or Capitoline Hill, between the Forum and the Campus Martius, is one of the Seven Hills of Rome. The hill was earlier known as Mons Saturnius, dedicated to the god Saturn.

Palatine Hill

Locality

Photo: Lil Herodotus, CC BY-SA 4.0.

The Palatine Hill, which relative to the seven hills of Rome is the centremost, is one of the most ancient parts of the city; it has been called "the first nucleus of the Roman Empire".