- The Mouth of Truth, called bocca della verita in Italian, is a giant face on a marble disc, possibly of a River or Sea God, with holes for the eyes, nostrils and mouth.
- It was originally located in the Temple of Hercules
Getting There
- Location: Piazza della Bocca della Verita. In front of the door of the Basilica di Santa Maria in Cosmedin.
Forum Boarium
- Piazza della Bocca della Verita was the site of the ancient cattle market, the Forum Boarium.
- It dates from approximately the 1st century CE, and may have once been a water fountain.
- Superstition has it that if a person told a lie, when they put their hand in its mouth, it would be bitten off.
Roman Holiday
- It was made famous in the 1953 Movie, Roman Holiday, where Gregory Peck frightens Audrey Hepburn by mimicking losing his hand in its mouth.
Basilica di Santa Maria