After multiple walks past Largo di Torre Argentina, which is most famous as the location where Julius Caesar said "Et Tu Brute?" as he was being killed by the Roman Senators, we finally went to it Sunday morning after Julia headed to the airport to fly home for work on Monday.
Caesar has the next line as well, saying "Then fall, Caesar." If Shakespeare had asked me, I'd have had Brutus reply to "Et Tu Brute?" with "You betcha!" instead.
Largo di Argentina is bound by four city streets (one of which is pedestrian only). The name of the square comes from the Torre Argentina (Argentina Tower), which was the name of the city of Strasbourg, France. The Latin name of Strasbourg was Argentoratum.
The square features the remains of four Roman temples from the Republic days, and the remains of Pompey's Theatre.
Caesar was assassinated here because the original Senate building had burned down on January 6, 52 BC, so the Senate met there in the square.
Walkways for the public to tour the square were installed in 2019 so the public can now buy inexpensive tickets to tour the ruins. The ruins are well below current street level. The walkways keep you a ways away from the actual temples, but if you are still enthralled by Roman columns, Largo Argentina is well worth the 15 minutes or so of wandering around.
The square is also famous as a cat sanctuary (since 1993), and offers sterilization and adoption programs for an estimated 30-350 cats (I KNOW that's a wide range, but those are the two very different numbers I've seen).
While we were wandering around the walkways, we saw cats wandering around the temples. One even laid down on walkway and let Carol pet it. Several of the cats were practicing the Stray Cat Strut, which would make a certain band from Long Island proud.
(By the way, if you haven't heard lead singer and guitarist Brian Setzer's Christmas albums -- with an orchestra -- you haven't heard some of the best Christmas music.)
Before we went to Largo Argentina, we stopped into Basilica Sant'Andrea della Valle, where Julia and I heard the amazing concert. (If you missed it, and click the link to see this stirring event, be sure to have the sound up.) Carol, Maria, and Van were all happy they went, even if there was no concert.
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