Most people visiting Rome head straight for the Forum. They want to see the spot where Julius Caesar was cremated. They look at the Temple of Caesar, throw a few coins, and take a selfie. But they’re looking at the wrong place. If you want to see where the most famous assassination in history actually happened, you have to leave the Forum, walk past the Pantheon, and find a cat sanctuary in the middle of a busy traffic square. Honestly, it's kinda weird.
The Curia of Pompey Rome is tucked away in Largo di Torre Argentina. It isn't a grand, standing building anymore. It’s a sunken ruin, full of stray cats and surrounded by honking Vespas. But this was the hall where the Roman Senate met on March 15, 44 BCE. This was the room where Brutus, Cassius, and a bunch of other senators cornered Caesar.
The Politics of a "Temporary" Senate House
Rome is old. Like, really old. But in 55 BCE, it was also undergoing a massive face-lift. Pompey the Great, who was Caesar’s rival-turned-enemy, built the first permanent stone theater in Rome. At the time, permanent theaters were technically illegal because the Senate thought they’d make the public lazy or rowdy. Pompey, being a clever politician, got around this by putting a temple at the top and calling the whole thing a "shrine."
Attached to this massive theater complex was the Curia of Pompey. It was a large meeting hall used by the Senate when the official Curia Julia in the Forum was under renovation or being rebuilt. You have to imagine a space dripping with marble and prestige. It wasn't just a room; it was a statement of Pompey's power. It’s a bit ironic, really. Caesar was killed in a building named after the man he defeated in a bloody civil war.
Modern archaeologists, including teams like those from the Spanish National Research Council (CSIC), have spent years pinpointing the exact location. In 2012, researchers announced they’d found a concrete structure about three meters wide and two meters high that was placed there specifically to block the spot where Caesar fell. Augustus, Caesar’s heir, was so disgusted by the murder that he had the Curia of Pompey boarded up and declared a locus sceleratus—a "cursed place."
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What’s Actually Left at Largo di Torre Argentina?
If you go there today, you aren't going to see a sign that says "Caesar Died Here." Well, there are some signs now, but they’re subtle. The area is known as the Area Sacra. It contains four different temples, labeled A, B, C, and D because historians aren't 100% sure which gods they were all for.
The Curia of Pompey Rome sits at the base of the "Theatrum Pompeii." Specifically, it’s behind Temples B and C. For decades, you could only look down at the ruins from the sidewalk. It was frustrating. You’d see the tufa blocks and the remains of the platform, but you couldn't get close. However, things changed recently. Thanks to funding from Bulgari, the site finally opened to the public with walkways in 2023. You can now walk among the ruins at ground level.
The stones are rough. They’re weathered. You’ll notice the difference between the smooth marble fragments and the porous volcanic tufa. Most of the Curia is actually buried under the modern Via di Torre Argentina. If you look at the Teatro Argentina (the modern opera house nearby), you’re basically standing on the footprint of Pompey’s ancient stage.
The Murder and the Concrete "Damnatio"
Let’s talk about the Ides of March. We often think of it as a Shakespearean drama, but it was a messy, chaotic political hit. Caesar arrived at the Curia of Pompey, likely being carried in a litter. He wasn't supposed to be there; the Senate was meeting there because the usual Curia was out of commission.
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When the conspirators struck, it wasn't a clean job. They were frantic. Some even stabbed each other in the confusion. Caesar collapsed at the base of a statue of Pompey. The irony of him dying at the feet of his old rival wasn't lost on ancient historians like Plutarch.
Later, when Augustus took over, he didn't just tear the building down. He built a wall of concrete over the exact spot of the assassination. This is what archaeologists found recently. It was a way of "sealing" the crime scene forever. Today, that concrete slab is one of the most significant pieces of evidence we have for the layout of the Curia. It’s not pretty. It’s just old, grey Roman concrete. But it represents a massive shift in world history.
Why the Cats Own the Place
You can't talk about the Curia of Pompey without talking about the cats. Seriously. The Torre Argentina Cat Sanctuary is famous worldwide. Since the excavations in the late 1920s, feral cats have moved into the sunken ruins. They protected the area from rats, and locals started feeding them.
Today, it's a fully functional shelter. You’ll see cats sunning themselves on the very pillars that stood when Caesar was alive. It adds a strange, living layer to the history. It’s a bit surreal to watch a tabby nap on a tufa block where senators once debated the fate of the Republic. It keeps the site from feeling like a cold, dead museum.
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How to Visit Like an Expert
Most tourists do a quick loop around the square and move on. Don't do that. To actually understand the Curia of Pompey Rome, you need to orient yourself properly.
- Start at the North End: Look for the rectangular temple (Temple A). This was converted into a church in the Middle Ages, which is why you can still see some small apses.
- Find the Round Temple: That’s Temple B. The Curia of Pompey is directly behind it, towards the street where the buses run.
- Look for the "Plinth": You’re looking for the remains of the podium. That’s where the Senate leaders sat.
- Visit at Night: The lighting at Largo di Torre Argentina is fantastic. The shadows hit the stones in a way that makes the height of the original structures much easier to visualize.
Is it worth the ticket price to go down into the ruins? Absolutely. Walking on the same level as the original Republican-era ground is a totally different experience than looking down from the street. You feel the scale. You realize how deep the "modern" city has buried its past.
The Curia of Pompey isn't just a pile of rocks. It’s the location of a pivot point. If Caesar hadn't died there, we might not have had the Roman Empire as we know it. We wouldn't have had the rise of Augustus. The Republic was already dying, but this room was where it finally breathed its last.
When you stand there, ignore the traffic for a second. Forget the "Et tu, Brute" movie lines. Just look at the tufa. Look at the way the Romans built things to last, even when they were trying to hide a murder. It’s one of the few places in Rome where you can stand exactly where a world-changing event happened, without the massive crowds of the Colosseum.
Actionable Insights for Your Visit
- Location: Largo di Torre Argentina, Rome. It's a short walk from Piazza Navona.
- Best Time: Late afternoon. The sun hits the stones at an angle that reveals the textures of the different building materials.
- Budget: It costs a few euros to go down onto the walkways, but viewing from the street level is free.
- The Cat Sanctuary: It’s located in the corner of the excavation site (southwest side). You can visit the shop and donate to help with the care of the ruins' feline residents.
- Nearby History: After seeing the Curia, walk two blocks to the Crypta Balbi. It’s a museum that explains how this entire neighborhood shifted from Roman grandeur to medieval grit.