| To the southwest of the
theatre, the Cortile San Pantaleone ( reached from Via
Vittorio Emanuele, turning into Via Porro and Via
Orfanelli), is usually considered the site of the central
area of the Roman city's foro [forum]. (Its Greek
forerunner, the agorà , was possibly bere too.) The word
foro was used by the Prince of Biscari to describe a
complex of ruined buildings that form the southeastern
corner of a piazza; in the sixteenth century the borders
of this piazza were very nearly intact. Today on the
southern side, at a depth of 7.35 metres from the
level of Via Vittorio Emanuele, eight bipartite rooms
(tabernae?) are visible. On the eastern side, at the same
depth, there is instead a long corridor in which traces
of opus reticulatum have been found; above it, at 2.35
metres, is a portico seven metres wide. This arrangement
has been interpreted as a complex of arcades and
cryptoporticus, frequent in Italy, which probably dates
to the foundation of the Roman colony.In the immediate
area of the San Pantaleone courtyard, especially to the
north, many remains of the imperial city have been
identified. In particular the Sant' Agostino convent,
situated on Via Vittorio Emanuele and today housing a
school, is built on ancient vaults and arcades and inside
the remains of a paved floor have been identified. From
here come the thirty-two columns - obviously originating
from a Roman public building, perhaps a basilica - which
were used in the eighteenth century for the arcades of
Piano San Filippo (today Piazza Mazzini). A
colossal marble torso from the site (now in the Civic
Museuln) has been identified as the statue of a deified
emperor. All this suggests that the area enjoyed a public
function and was part of the forum area. |
