Foro Emiliano

The Foro Emiliano preserves ancient limestone paving within Terracina's Piazza del Municipio. Roman civic space and the later town centre occupy the same setting, with the course of the Via Appia linking the square to its surrounding monuments.

Why it matters

The forum's pavement belongs to the late first century BC. Its donor, Aulus Aemilius, is commemorated in an inscription that gave the archaeological site its modern name. The remains connect the public architecture of Roman Tarracina with the civic centre that developed above and around it.

What to notice

Large limestone slabs retain the traces of the donor inscription, originally set with bronze letters. The ancient road passed beside the pedestrian square, which was framed by public buildings including the basilica and curia. The nearby theatre and the supporting galleries beneath the terrace reveal how the Roman centre adapted to Terracina's sloping ground.

Context and history

Terracina became a Roman colony in 329 BC, before the monumental remodelling reflected in the surviving forum. Later building covered and transformed parts of the area. Work in 1846 exposed the ancient pavement, while twentieth-century destruction and subsequent archaeological campaigns further changed the appearance of the square and its surroundings.