Trajan’s Markets is a sprawling complex of brick halls, vaulted corridors and rooms built into the Quirinal Hill in the early second century AD. Commissioned alongside the Forum of Trajan, it is often attributed to the architect Apollodorus of Damascus. Its sweeping semicircular facade offers a striking view of how Roman builders used brick and concrete to reshape the landscape.
The familiar description of the complex as an ancient shopping mall is probably too simple. Scholars continue to debate how its rooms were used, though they may have included shops and offices connected with the Imperial Fora. Today, Trajan’s Markets also houses the Museum of the Imperial Fora, where architectural fragments, sculpture and inscriptions help visitors make sense of the monumental neighbourhood around it.
The pleasure of visiting is moving through the site rather than viewing it from a distance. Walk beneath the cross-vaults of the Great Hall, follow the ancient paving of Via Biberatica and climb to terraces overlooking Trajan’s Forum and the city beyond. It is a chance to experience Roman architecture at street level, away from some of the heavier crowds nearby.
The entrance is on Via IV Novembre, not Via dei Fori Imperiali. Wear shoes with good grip for the uneven paving, and expect stairs and steep ramps that can make access difficult for visitors with limited mobility. Check current opening hours and ticket options before visiting; early morning or late afternoon can be especially pleasant for exploring the brickwork and terraces.