Temple of Vesta

1st-century BC round temple on the acropolis above the Aniene falls

Perched on the cliff edge above the Aniene gorge, the so-called Temple of Vesta is a small circular Roman temple in the Corinthian order, dating to the early first century BC. It is one of the most picturesque ancient ruins in Italy — ten slender columns standing against the sky directly above the waterfalls of Villa Gregoriana.

The dedication is uncertain (it may not have been to Vesta at all) but the building is exceptionally well preserved, partly because it was incorporated as a chapel into a medieval church. The interior is no longer accessible, but the exterior can be admired from the terrace of the adjoining Sibilla restaurant or from the trails of Villa Gregoriana below.

things to do sight ruins
A story
The 18th-century Grand Tour painters — Fragonard, Hubert Robert, Piranesi — produced dozens of romantic views of this little round temple perched above the cascade. It became one of the most reproduced architectural images in Europe, copied in garden follies from England to Russia.

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