The Palantine Hill (Heritage Site), Roman Empire

During the Republic, the Palatine Hill was the most important location in Rome.  Most of the public buildings in the city, including the Senate House, important temples, and mansions of the influential and powerful, who wanted the prestige and convenience of living close to the Senate, could be found here.  Famous republican residents include Cicero, Julius Caesar and the Gracchi brothers.

After Augustus became Emperor, he built his relatively modest house on the hill, and his successor began building the imperial palaces here, soon making the entire hill the property of the imperial family.  Today, most of the remains that can be visited date back to the Imperial period, and include the gorgeous frescoes of the House of Livia, the House of Augustus (erroneously name, he surely never lived there) and the beautiful Renaissance-era Farnese Gardens.