Mercati di Traiano – Museo dei Fori Imperiali

Trajan's Markets form a terraced brick complex against the cut slope of Rome's Quirinal hill. Roman vaulted spaces, medieval fortifications and later convent structures provide the setting for the Museum of the Imperial Fora.

Why it matters

The complex is closely related to the construction and organisation of Trajan's Forum. Its successive adaptations reveal how ancient urban structures could be retained and transformed through later periods of Rome's history.

What to notice

The Great Hall and the curving Grande Emiciclo show different uses of vaulting and brick construction. The hemicycle echoes the adjacent forum's exedra. Geometric mosaic floors and herringbone brick paving preserve later ancient surfaces, while Via Biberatica threads the upper levels. The Torre delle Milizie adds a prominent medieval element to the ensemble.

Context and history

Work associated with the complex may have begun under Domitian before the development of Trajan's Forum. Medieval occupation fortified its upper levels as the Militiae stronghold. It later became associated with the monastery of Santa Caterina da Siena a Magnanapoli. The museum brings the history of these structures into dialogue with architectural fragments and the wider development of the Imperial Fora.