"Through the doorways........." a Rome Travel Page by leics

The mansion blocks of Rome are truly enormous...........they tell clearly of the wealth many of its citizens once had.

From Roman times, the heat of the city meant people sought shady places and the cooling sound of running water. The ancient Roman houses of the rich had a welcoming 'hallway' or entrance which led from the street door into a courtyard area, usually with fountain and plants for shade, as well as one (or more than one) central garden courtyard around which the house folded itself). Anyone who could afford it had some sort of courtyard area shaded by the walls of their house......

And the climate has not changed, so building styles which work have been retained. Modern, more upmarket apartment buildings in Rome still tend to be built around some sort of shady courtyard.

But it is through the open doors of those mansions that you will get glimpses of what lies within.......plants, of course, perhaps a tree or wo..........fountains and running water.........maybe an 'acquired' (or fake) bit of Roman statuary, or some fade, once lovely, frescoes......

It's worth looking as you pass by. Some will be entirely given over to car parking (once, it was the horses who drew their owners' carriages who were 'parked' there) but many more have been prserved as a tiny sanctuary against the blazing sun and intense, stifling heat of the summer city..........