Piazza Bocca Della Verita - Piazzas of Italy by Ultimate Italy

Piazza Bocca Della Verita

Piazza Bocca della Verita is located near the Tiber river very close to the Roman Forum and the Palatine Hill. This is an old area even for ancient Rome and the area that would become the Forum was marshland reclaimed by the Etruscan kings.

On the riverside of the piazza one can find two ancient temples of the republican period. They are well maintained to date. The temple of Portunus has an iconic façade with only four columns. It is built on a high podium the reason being protection from flooding of the Tiber. The port lies north to the river’s edge. In 872 it was transformed to a church called Santa Maria Egiziaca.

The other temple is known as the temple of Vesta since it is similar to the temple of Vesta, which stood in the Roman Forum. However this temple is dedicated to Hercules Victor. It is the oldest temple in Rome. It is made of Greek marble. It is cylindrical in shape and is surrounded by twenty fluted columns. It was partially reconstructed during the reign of Tiberius using marble from Carrara. The architect may have been Greek and some historians say that Hermodoros of Salamina was the architect.

At the eastern extremity of the piazza one can find the arch of Janus. It is a different sort of arch and opens in four directions. It is most probably a Constantine arch. The arch is a square whose four corners are four large pillions each covered with marble. Above the pillions is an attic, which bore inscriptions. Although the attic has not survived a part of the inscription is found in a wall of the church of San Giorgio that is nearby.

To the south of the piazza is the famous church of San Maria in Cosmedin. This church contains the famous Bocca della Verita (Mouth of Truth) from which the piazza derives its name. This church belongs to the middle ages and is now one of the major tourist attractions.

In 1717 Francesco Carlo Bizzaccheri designed a fountain in honour of Pope Clement IX Albani. The basin was in the form of an eight-pointed star. This symbol is repeated in different parts of the fountain. The step on which the basin rests is also of a similar shape. The rocks in the basin also roughly form the shape of a star. A smaller and clearer star is carved on a castle above the washboard. Two tritons sit on top of the rocks back to back with their tails entwined, supporting a shell shaped basin which has another of the papal coat of arms carved on both sides.

The fountain of the tritons was placed in the Piazza Bocca della Verita in front of the church of San Maria in Cosmedin.

In ancient and medieval times the square had a rural feel about it. However due to the opening of the Via del Teatro Marcello a part of the charm is lost due to the hustle and bustle of the traffic. However it is definitely worth a visit as it is one of the historical squares of ancient and modern Italy.