Palatine Hill, or Mount Palatino, was definitely a prime location during the heydays of ancient Rome. Adjacent to the Colosseum and the Roman Forum, it was where the upper echelons of society lived. Today, it, like much of Rome, Italy, is a tourist hotspot, attracting crowds to see the ruins of ancient temples and stadiums and to imagine what life was like two thousand years ago.
It was fairly surprising to find a labyrinth on the hill, but it wasn't circa 800 BC, but a much more modern hedge one. Compared to the other structures around the Eternal City, this was an extremely modest sight, but 'il labirinto' was there to be walked so I did. I had hoped to find a fancy, old labyrinth somewhere in Rome, but I was stymied. There is one on the floor of a castle in the Vatican complex, but it is in the Treasury Room and as I discovered when I toured the castle, that room is off-limits to the general public. Another was in a church and also not easily accessible.
So, Palatine Hill gets to be my Italian labyrinth entry... for now.
