Cloaca Massima
Cloaca Massima
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The area

Address
Neighborhood: Esquilino
Old school vibe from the very beginning is the only way to describe the Esquilino neighborhood. The Esquilino takes pride in being one of the oldest areas in Rome for its key location on one of the city’s famous seven hills. From an ancient neighborhood to its modern incarnation as a multicultural hub, Esquilino always has something going on—polyglot vendors debate street artists while kids play pick-up basketball games. Look around you: this area isn’t like the historic center. Liberty architecture, large piazzas, and long boulevards mix with archaic arches, secret side alleys, and beautiful churches like Santa Maria Maggiore.
How to get there
  • Vittorio Emanuele • 5 min walk
  • Cavour • 7 min walk

Most Recent: Reviews ordered by most recent publish date in descending order.

Detailed Reviews: Reviews ordered by recency and descriptiveness of user-identified themes such as wait time, length of visit, general tips, and location information.


4.0
4.0 of 5 bubbles13 reviews
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pwargin
Warsaw, Poland32 contributions
5.0 of 5 bubbles
Jun 2019 • Solo
Cloaca Maxima is often mentioned in history books and yet it's nearly impossible to find sites related to it. This unmarked arch at Tiber 's embankment is supposedly the place where it coonects to the Tiber river. Here, among homeless people encampment you can actualy see a small sewage outlet. Does it mean that the ancient sewage system is still working, buried under Rome's streets? If so, I would love to learn more about it current state, better yet - tour it.

btw
nearby, behind the Arch of Janus, is a place that seams to be connected to Cloaca Maxima (see photos)
Written June 10, 2019
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Dimitris L
Sydney, Australia50,924 contributions
4.0 of 5 bubbles
Jun 2017 • Couples
The Cloaca Massima (the Greatest Sewer) is a very important archaeological and historical site. To the ordinary person it's probably nothing at all, but to those who have studied the history and are lovers of history, then this is fantastic. This was a sewer, originally built by the Etruscans, that is before the real Romans took over! The Romans used it as the major sewer of the city. It was a great engineering work and it served the city for a long time. Most probably it was open drains and channels originally, but it is also quite likely that some underground works were undertaken by the Romans. It was so good it still works, at least partly, even today!
Written November 21, 2017
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Maggi713
Baltimore, MD12,359 contributions
4.0 of 5 bubbles
Jan 2017 • Couples
This is another one of those off the beaten path things to see in Rome if you are in the area. The cloaca maxima was the sewer system built in the sixth or seventh century B.C., by one of the kings of Rome to drain the marshes in the valleys between the hills into the Tiber River. The cloaca maxima began under the Argiletum, the street of booksellers, then it went under the forum and then it joined up with streams carrying water from the Esquiline, Viminal and Quirinal hills to finally discharge into the Tiber. The cloaca maxima itself was the large central canal. It is located next to the Ponte Palatino.
Written February 12, 2017
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

toad69
Bishops Stortford, UK296 contributions
4.0 of 5 bubbles
May 2017
We built this into our walk across the Tiber Island and while it does not seem much without it Rome would never have prospered.
The Cloaca Maxima[n 1] (Italian: Cloaca Massima) is one of the world's earliest sewage systems. Constructed in Ancient Rome in order to drain local marshes and remove the waste of one of the world's most populous cities, it carried effluent to the River Tiber, which ran beside the city.[
Written May 16, 2017
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

SeatOfMyPntsTravelr
Washington DC, DC1,247 contributions
4.0 of 5 bubbles
Sep 2016 • Solo
The ancient Greatest Sewer was essential for the Romans and the fact that it still operates - though not spewing effluent/waste into the Tiber - is awesome.
Written October 12, 2016
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
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Cloaca Massima, Rome

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