An alleyway with graffiti on the walls, leading to stairs and a doorway with two open black doors. There is a window above with brown shutters and a second window on the right side. The walls are weathered with peeling paint and graffiti.

Passetto del Biscione

This forbidding passage way is a leftover aisleway from when this was the Theatre of Pompey (built about 50BC) where on the steps of that theatre in 44BC Cæsar famously was killed in front of a statue of Pompey, his rival. ⁣

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Since the Middle Ages it has been a pedestrian tunnel that connects Piazza del Biscione in Campo dei’Fiori with Via di Grottapinta. ⁣

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But once you walk in it’s immediately enchanting, refurbished frescoes and a small shrine to the Madonna. In 1796, the story goes, the Madonna suddenly opened her eyes and nervously looked around then shut them again. ⁣

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I have to say I’m glad that didn’t happen while I was alone in that tunnel.

Religious shrine with a framed portrait of Mary holding baby Jesus, flanked by faded wall paintings of cherubs, and decorated with potted plants and flowers.
Interior of an ancient hallway of the Stadium of Domitian with a ceiling painted with clouds, a climbing vine, and cherubs. The walls are decorated with religious art and the doorway opens to a street scene with bicycles outside.