L'Italo-Americano

THURSDAY, JUNE 26, 2025 www.italoamericano.org 14 L'Italo-Americano walls and divides By the early imperial peri- od, Rome's élite had devel- oped strategies to control and contain the district. The Forum of Augustus was built at the northern edge of the Suburra, and to protect it from the fires and noise of the neighborhood, a tall wall of stone was erected. This so- called Murus Suburbanus (Suburra Wall) served not only as a firebreak but as a v i s u a l a n d p s y c h o l o g i c a l boundary between Rome's c i v i c c e n t e r a n d i t s m o r e unpredictable underbelly. In a city constantly balancing splendor and strain, the Sub- urra highlighted tensions between visibility and mar- ginalization: it could not be ignored – in the end, its resi- d e n t s c o o k e d t h e m e a l s , forged the tools, and deliv- ered the goods that Rome n e e d e d – b u t i t c o u l d b e walled off. From marginal neighbor- hood to Monti T h e S u b u r r a p e r s i s t e d well beyond the imperial age. In the Middle Ages, as the city's population declined and shifted, the area saw the rise of defensive towers and small churches. The district, by then known as Monti, adapted to new eras, though poverty and social complexi- ty remained part of its identi- ty. Major urban interventions in the 19th and 20th cen- turies dramatically altered the neighborhood's fabric, w i t h t h e c r e a t i o n o f V i a Cavour and the sweeping s o m e t a v e r n s d o u b l e d a s venues for gambling, casual performances, or discreet m e e t i n g s . T h e a r e a a l s o became associated with sex work: in ancient Rome, sex work was legal and taxed, but it remained socially margin- alized, so many sex workers o p e r a t e d i n s m a l l r o o m s rented near or inside taverns. T h e s e s p a c e s , s o m e t i m e s called cellae or lupanaria, offered anonymity and func- tioned as part of a larger informal economy. Writers like Juvenal and Martial described the Suburra with a mix of fascination and dis- dain; for them, it was a place of temptation and unpre- dictability, where the bound- aries between order and dis- order blurred. Stories from the Suburra D e s p i t e – o r p e r h a p s because of – its reputation, the Suburra produced some of Rome's most recognizable figures: Julius Caesar was born there in 100 BC, into a patrician family whose for- tunes had seen better days. Living in the district was a reminder of Rome's fluid social structure, where old lineage did not always guar- antee wealth or insulation from urban life. The poet Martial, who often wrote about daily life in Rome, also lived in the area. His verses offer snapshots of neighbors, shopkeepers, passers-by, and fleeting street scenes, sug- gesting that the Suburra, though rough-edged, was as familiar and functional as any neighborhood in a mod- ern metropolis. Imperial Rome's contra- d i c t i o n s o f t e n p l a y e d o u t here, too. For instance, some s o u r c e s r e c o u n t t h a t Empress Valeria Mes- s a l i n a , w i f e o f E m p e r o r Claudius, made covert visits to the Suburra, adopting dis- guises to move through the district unnoticed. Similarly, Emperor Nero is said to have ventured there in dis- guise to hear the public's opinion of his rule. These episodes, though colored by political propaganda, show us clearly the Suburra's sym- b o l i c w e i g h t : i t w a s b o t h feared and sought after. Managing the margins: redesigns following Italian unification disrupting the old medieval layout. Later, Mus- solini's regime carved a path through the old Suburra to build Via dei Fori Imperi- ali, removing entire blocks of h o u s i n g a n d s h o p s . Y e t , some fragments survived: today, Piazza della Subur- r a r e m a i n s a s a s m a l l reminder of the neighbor- hood's past. A contemporary neigh- borhood with ancient roots Modern-day Monti, which includes much of the former Suburra, is one of Rome's most eclectic and sought- after areas. With its mix of archaeological remains, 19th- century façades, bars, book- stores, and vintage shops, it s h o w s h o w R o m e a l w a y s manages to incorporate cen- t u r i e s o f c h a n g e w i t h o u t completely erasing its earlier selves. The wall once built to protect the Forum from fires a n d c r o w d s s t i l l s t a n d s behind the Forum of Augus- tus, and the Arco dei Pan- tani, an ancient passageway once leading into the Forum, hints at how close the monu- m e n t a l a n d t h e m a r g i n a l used to be. What survives of the Sub- urra today is part stone, part the idea itself of the neigh- borhood, with its life, contra- dictions, and adaptability. Far from being just a "bad place," the Suburra was part of Rome's working heart: complex, noisy, at times dan- g e r o u s , b u t d y n a m i c a n d indispensable. the Forum, making it a key a r t e r y f o r c o m m e r c e a n d c o m m u n i c a t i o n . W h i l e wealthier citizens occupied elegant domus on the out- skirts, most of the area was home to laborers, artisans, t r a d e s p e o p l e , a n d o t h e r s who made the Roman econo- my function. Shops, streets, and the hum of daily life Suburra's energy came from its streets: vendors sold fresh produce, baked goods, and household necessities, while taverns served meals, d r i n k , a n d c o n v e r s a t i o n . Craftspeople and metalwork- e r s o p e r a t e d w o r k s h o p s a l o n g s i d e l a u n d r i e s a n d c o m m u n a l b a t h h o u s e s . Noise, heat, and the constant movement of people defined the atmosphere. Living conditions, howev- er, could be harsh. Many of the insulae were poorly built and prone to fire, and water shortages and inadequate sanitation added to the dis- trict's difficulties. Fires were frequent and devastating, e s p e c i a l l y i n t h e w a r m e r months, prompting the even- tual construction of fireproof barriers separating the Sub- urra from the monumental center. A reputation shaped by visibility Over time, the Suburra became synonymous with everything considered unruly in Roman urban life. Drinking houses and enter- tainment venues blurred into less regulated spaces, and J ust steps away from the grandeur of the R o m a n f o r u m s , between the Quiri- nal, Viminal, and Esquiline hills, the Suburra w a s a n e i g h b o r h o o d t h a t never quite fit Rome's pol- ished image. It was dense, noisy, working-class, and essential, home to those who s u s t a i n e d t h e c i t y ' s d a i l y rhythms. From the third cen- tury BC onwards, this district came to represent the heart of everyday Rome: alive with activity, but never far from disrepute in the eyes of the élite. The neighborhood below the city The name Suburra – or S u b u r a i n L a t i n – l i k e l y derives from the expression sub urbe, meaning "below the city." The reference was both topographical and sym- bolic, because the neighbor- hood sat in a valley beneath the hilltop temples and civic buildings of the Forum, phys- ically lower, and often seen as morally so as well. Over time, it became known as a rough, chaotic, and sometimes dan- gerous area; yet it also played a n i m p o r t a n t r o l e i n t h e s t r u c t u r e o f R o m a n l i f e . Urbanistically, the Suburra was a mix of insulae – multi- story apartment blocks often built of wood – and tabernae, small street-level shops. The d i s t r i c t ' s m a i n r o a d , t h e Argiletum, led directly into The Suburra was the beating heart of Rome (Image created with DALL-E 2) LIFE PEOPLE PLACES HERITAGE TRADITIONS Beneath the halls of power: life in ancient Rome's Suburra LUCA SIGNORINI

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