In one of the great cities of Europe, there is a strange opening in the ground, located in an area that was once a marshland and later the city's most public place. Today, it is partly paved over, but a few ancient legends surround it. What is it, and can you offer me one or two of the legends?

casperone123

St Mark'square, Venice. the Doge's Palace, St Mark's Basilica, St Mark's Clocktower. May 13 07, 6:43 PM

lanfranco

Sweet answer, but no. But you're sort of in the vicinity of the right part of the world. Move west and then south. And think of an ancient marsh turned into a very famous public place, and a hole in the ground in that place. May 13 07, 6:49 PM

casperone123

Milan, san Siro stadium? lake como , cathedral May 13 07, 7:36 PM

lanfranco

Go south, casperone. Way south. Have you ever read Livy? May 13 07, 7:39 PM

casperone123

Rome, The Colloseum. the forum, the pantheon, palatine hill ????? May 13 07, 7:58 PM

lanfranco

You're in the right city, and you've mentioned the right area. Now, zero in, using the clues I've offered. May 13 07, 8:04 PM

gmackematix

Is the strange opening anything to do with the Cloaca Maxima which runs through the Forum? According to Wikipedia, both Eliagabalus and St Sebastian were dumped in the sewer rather than being buried. May 13 07, 8:32 PM

lanfranco

No, though oddly enough, I was just reading about the origins of the Cloaca Maxima this afternoon, and I'm sort of fond of the Getty's Lodovico Carracci painting of St. Sebastian getting tipped into the big sewer. BUT the Forum is the right location. And something -- or someone, to be exact -- did disappear into this thing, according to legend. Now, I can't possibly offer more clues than that. May 13 07, 9:05 PM

zbeckabee

"After reigning 40 years, Romulus mysteriously vanished in a storm at Goat's Marsh..." http://publish.uwo.ca/~pindar/Week%2017.html May 13 07, 10:16 PM

zbeckabee

More info on the incident at WIKI: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special:Search?search=Goat%27s+Marsh May 13 07, 10:23 PM

lanfranco

Well, zbeck, that's an interesting guess, but the Goat's Marsh -- and I'm looking at a map here -- was located at the foot of the Quirinal Hill, just to its west, not in the Forum. May 14 07, 7:10 AM

zbeckabee

Just rested at Goat's Marsh on my way to Lacus Curtius. "Alternatively, Titus Livius tells that the Lacus Curtius was named after Mettius Curtius, a Sabine horseman who rode into or fell into it while fighting against Romulus, during the war begun after the Rape of the Sabine Women." http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lacus_Curtius May 14 07, 10:11 AM

lanfranco

Ah ha, zbeck, the Lacus Curtius is what I was after, so you get the silver mace. The legend of Marcus Curtius, who deliberately rode his horse into the void, is probably the best-known of the legends and well-liked by artists. If you scroll down to Lot 90 on this site, you'll see a version by Eustache Le Sueur: http://www.thecityreview.com/w03com.html May 14 07, 11:02 AM