Strolling through Rome it is easy to find the memories of a glorious past, mainly that one related the greatness of the empire, as for example the original columns of what was the Temple of Hadrian. You don't need to be a local tour guide to appreciate how the past of the Eternal City is so well represented, thanks to majestic architectonical witnesses.

Probably the construction site began already during the reign of the same Hadrian, who wanted to build a sacred place in honor of his wife Viba Sabinia, who died att the 136 d.C. What is certain is that Hadrian was deified by his successor, Antoninus Pius (who reigned from 138, the year of the death of the predecessor, up to 161 d.C.). Antoninus Pius, who became even a god after his death, as you can read in this article, was concerned about a lot of the figure of Hadrian, and, in the perspective of deification, it was almost automatic the will to erect a temple to him. After all don't forget how Hadrian was a man not too hated by the patres, the Senators. Still today we are debating about his historical figure, his behaviour, policy decisions and not only. The educated man, the end of the scholar and art lover, able to be a skilled general as well as a skilled lover (famous for his relationship with Antinous), Hadrian was a lot of things together. Implacable with the enemies (remember his expedition to Judea, where he came to destroy again Jerusalem), but also able to have a great sensitivity with his subjects (to know something more about his profile click here).

The temple reflects the ordinary roman architectural traditions. We see 11 columns of 13 original located on the north side, but we know very well how the building was situated above a podium, still well visible. Rectangular in shape and with a row of columns surrounding the two long sides and one short side, the temple had the room with the cult statue depicting the emperor and a number of reliefs that ran along the walls. These remarks were in the form of a shield with personifications of the provinces conquered from the empire. In this way Hadrian wanted to emphasize the fact that, with him, the whole empire could live in peace, having subjected all his enemies.

Not only a message of war, however, since Hadrian based his policy especially on the protection of the borders (to quote the famous Hadrian's Wall on the border between Scotland and England, even if it had probably a symbolic meaning more than a defensive one), leading Rome to have a period of relative peace and stability. Then over the centuries the temple was stripped of its riches, coming to be a real ruin. A common evolution for many buildings of the roman period, that at the end of the empire, in the course of the V century d.C., were partially reused by the Romans themselves. A common destiny which, however, established a different ending for the Temple of Hadrian compared to the other architectures, now completely lost in the oblivion and in the frantic search of new building materials for reuse.

Already in the XVII century, in fact, its remains were incorporated in a new project designed by Carlo Fontana, the architect who was very active at the time. From here, subsequently, at the 1831 it became the seat of the Customs of the Vatican City while today is a multi-purpose building that is used, particularly, for conferences within the framework of the Chamber of Commerce of Rome. Incredible as it may be a long history of the Eternal City, and since the latter is capable of showing, even today and centuries later, some of the buildings symbol of the golden age of the Eternal City. A simple building, the Temple of Hadrian, and yet is capable of evoking different historical eras. This is Rome!