How could you visit Rome and not visit the Forum? All of the hotels Rome has will recommend a visit there. This was the political center of the Roman Empire. In its day that made it the center of the “civilized” world. Masses of people would flock to see the meetings of the orators, attend criminal trials and discuss internal politics or the latest military campaigns. They also came for the to the forum to discuss the Gladiatorial Games or the many races Rome loved to sponsor. The area around the Forum supported markets, shops, and taverns. This showed just how popular it was for the people that lived in Rome.