Via dei Fori Imperiali (the 850m boulevard connecting the Colosseum to Piazza Venezia, built between 1931 and 1932 on Mussolini's direct order, inaugurated on October 28, 1932, the tenth anniversary of the Fascist March on Rome): the most archaeologically destructive single urban intervention in 20th-century Rome and the most politically charged infrastructure in the Italian capital, the road that destroyed approximately 20 hectares of the ancient Roman Imperial Fora (the Forum of Julius Caesar, the Forum of Augustus, the Forum of Nerva, the Forum of Trajan, and the Temple of Peace) to provide the straight boulevard from Piazza Venezia to the Colosseum that Mussolini needed for his military parades.
The demolition: Via dei Fori Imperiali construction required the demolition of the Velian Hill (the hill between the Palatine and the Oppian Hill that the ancient Romans inhabited from the 7th century BC and whose medieval and Renaissance building stock the 1932 demolition cleared) and the destruction of 43 medieval and Renaissance buildings, 188 modern buildings, and approximately 5,000 families' apartments in the Alessandrino neighborhood. The archaeological evidence of what was destroyed: the excavations conducted alongside the road construction and then in the areas adjacent to the boulevard have revealed the specific extent of the destruction, the mosaic floors, the column bases, the walls, and the sculptural fragments of the Imperial Fora that the bulldozers cut through in 1931-1932 and that the road surface now covers.
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Via dei Fori Imperiali: The Walk, the Views, and the Debate
The Photographic Boulevard
Via dei Fori Imperiali as a photographic experience: the 850m boulevard provides the most famous single urban view in Rome, the Colosseum visible at the end of the straight road from Piazza Venezia viewpoint (the specific perspective that every Rome photography guide uses as the canonical city image): the best Via dei Fori Imperiali photography moments, the early morning (7:00-8:30 in summer) when the boulevard is empty of cars (it is partially pedestrianized on weekends and holidays) and the golden light catches the Colosseum at the end of the straight axis. And the evening (19:00-21:00) when the illuminated Colosseum and the lit Imperial Fora ruins create the specific romantic Rome night image that the tourist photography industry has standardized.
Via Dei Fori Imperiali: tours & tickets
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See availability & prices →Compare tours on Viator →We may earn a commission, at no extra cost to you.The Removal Debate
The "rimozione" debate (the ongoing Italian architectural and political discussion about whether to remove Via dei Fori Imperiali and restore the archaeological area): the debate has been running since the 1980s when the first serious archaeological assessments of the boulevard's impact were published. The positions: the archaeologists (who consistently argue that the removal would reveal the most significant single archaeological site in Rome, the complete Imperial Fora circuit underground, the specific building sequence from Julius Caesar to Trajan whose underground preservation is substantially better than the excavated sections above ground). Versus the traffic engineers and the political pragmatists (who argue that removing Rome's primary east-west arterial connection would paralyse the city traffic without alternative routes). In 2026, the debate continues without resolution, the partial weekend pedestrianization is the only concrete action taken in 40 years of debate.
Q&A: Via dei Fori Imperiali
Can pedestrians walk the full length of Via dei Fori Imperiali?
Yes. Via dei Fori Imperiali has a dedicated pedestrian pavement on both sides of the boulevard for its full 850m length, and the central road section is pedestrianized on Sundays and public holidays (the specific Sunday pedestrianization that the Rome municipality maintains year-round). The best walking moment: Sunday morning (9:00-11:00) when the boulevard is pedestrianized, the light is from the east (the morning sun illuminating the north-facing ruins), and the visitor number is still moderate before the afternoon peak. Via dei Fori Imperiali walk is free at all times, no ticket is required for the boulevard itself (the adjacent museum and archaeological area tickets are separate).
Internal Links
- Fori Imperiali: La Storia sotto l'Asfalto
- Roma Fascista: Via Imperiali e EUR nel Confronto
- Fotografare Via dei Fori Imperiali: Il Colosseo in Asse
- Roma in Inverno: Via Imperiali al Tramonto
- Fori Imperiali: Ingresso e Scavi 2026
- Roma Storica: Dall'Antico al Contemporaneo
- Via dei Fori Imperiali: Come Arrivarci
