Palestrina (Praeneste)

Palestrina, the ancient Praeneste, is a hill town in the Monti Prenestini about 35 kilometres east of Rome, built directly over and into the ruins of one of the largest and most spectacular religious complexes of the ancient world, the Sanctuary of Fortuna Primigenia. In the late 2nd century BC this vast oracle temple to the goddess Fortune climbed the hillside in a series of enormous terraces linked by ramps and grand staircases, an architectural feat so dramatic that the whole modern town now occupies its footprint, its streets and houses resting on the ancient platforms. Visitors can trace the surviving terraces, vaulted galleries and the great hemicycle as they walk up through town. Crowning the sanctuary at the very top sits the Palazzo Colonna Barberini, a Renaissance palace built on the temple's curved summit, which now houses the National Archaeological Museum of Palestrina. The museum's undisputed masterpiece is the Nile Mosaic, a huge and astonishingly detailed Hellenistic floor mosaic depicting the river Nile in flood, teeming with Egyptian landscapes, animals, boats and people, one of the most important ancient mosaics to survive anywhere. The collection also holds Roman statuary, cinerary urns and finds from the sanctuary. A visit to the museum and the visible temple terraces takes around two hours, and the climb to the top rewards visitors with sweeping views over the Roman Campagna toward the distant city. Palestrina is also remembered as the birthplace of the great Renaissance composer Giovanni Pierluigi da Palestrina. The museum charges a modest entry fee, with free admission for under-18s. The town is reached from Rome by bus from the Anagnina metro terminus or by car. Quieter than the central Roman sites, this scope-specific corner of the Lazio hills offers major archaeology and a memorable mosaic in a single visit.