It is one of Rome’s most curious and special spots. A true attraction of which there are numerous reproductions. It is the famous Piè di Marmo; a huge foot in the middle of Rome. This marble foot is a fragment. It is the only one left of an ancient Roman statue, located in the heart of Rome. It is a colossal foot that gave its name to the street which is called via Piè di Marmo. The street was formerly known as Via dell’Arco di Camigliano. The street starts in the small piazza of the church of Santo Stefano del Cacco. Come and walk through Rome and pick one of our TOURS. Come and see the strange the Piè di Marmo; the huge foot in the middle of Rome!
The Piè di Marmo; a huge foot in the middle of Rome
A huge foot in the middle of Rome
The famous Piè di Marmo, the huge foot in the middle of Rome, is 123 centimetres long and calculations have demonstrated that it belonged to a statue which must have been over 8 metres high. It certainly belonged to a colossal cult statue, perhaps a so called “acrolith”. The Piè di Marmo, the huge marble foot in the middle of Rome, carved from a single block of marble with its base, is mainly composed of two large fragments. The foot wears the “crepida”, a typical sandal of Greek origin. It is a sandal with a sole with a raised edge all around, leaving the malleolus uncovered, with holes for the passage of laces that attached the “shoe” to the foot.
It is possible that the statue was placed in the most important Egyptian sanctuary in Rome, dedicated to Isis and Serapis. The sanctuary in the Campus Martius was the oldest and most opulent public place of Egyptian worship in Rome.
The work and its plinth, carved from a single block of marble, were much deteriorated since the marble has been exposed in the open air. Thanks to the numerous citizens who requested it, the Piè di Marmo was restored.
Come and walk through Rome and pick one of our TOURS. Come and see the strange the Piè di Marmo; the huge foot in the middle of Rome!
