Explore the real-world places that appear in Roman Fever by Edith Wharton. Each location on the map shows what happens there in the novel, the real history of the place, and what's there today. Featured locations include Restaurant Terrace overlooking the Colosseum, The Colosseum, Roman Forum, Palatine Hill, Hotel Excelsior and 5 more.
Via dei Fori Imperiali area — The fateful conversation
Mrs. Alida Slade and Mrs. Grace Ansley, two middle-aged American widows, sit on this restaurant terrace overlooking the Forum and Colosseum as afternoon fades to evening. Here, Alida reveals her devastating secret: twenty-five years earlier, she forged a letter from Delphin Slade to Grace, luring her to the Colosseum at night out of jealousy. Grace's stunning counter-revelation—that she met Delphin that night and Barbara is his daughter—transforms everything.
The area around the Colosseum has been a gathering place for visitors since ancient times. By Wharton's era in the early 1900s, restaurants with terraces overlooking the ruins had become fashionable spots for wealthy tourists and expatriates.
Numerous restaurants with terraces still offer dramatic views of the Colosseum and Forum. The Via dei Fori Imperiali, created by Mussolini in the 1930s, provides the broad avenue that enhances these panoramic vistas.
Visit: Multiple restaurant terraces (restaurant)
Piazza del Colosseo — Scene of the ancient deception
Twenty-five years before the main story, this is where young Grace Ansley went at night after receiving what she believed was a love letter from Delphin Slade. Alida had forged the letter to expose Grace's feelings and potentially endanger her with 'Roman fever'—the malaria that lurked in Rome's ancient ruins. Instead, Grace met Delphin himself, beginning their secret affair that produced Barbara.
Built between 70-80 AD, the Colosseum was Rome's largest amphitheater. In Wharton's time, the ruins were notorious for harboring malaria-carrying mosquitoes, making nighttime visits genuinely dangerous—hence the term 'Roman fever.'
The Colosseum is one of Rome's most visited monuments and a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Modern drainage and urban development have eliminated the malaria risk that made it dangerous in Wharton's era.
Visit: Colosseum Archaeological Park (historic site)
Via della Salara Vecchia — Backdrop to revelation
The Forum spreads below the terrace where Alida and Grace have their climactic conversation. The ancient ruins serve as a powerful backdrop to their discussion of the past, symbolizing how the buried secrets of their youth have shaped their entire lives. The Forum's romantic atmosphere had drawn many American visitors, including the young Grace and Delphin.
The Forum was the center of Roman political, commercial, and judicial life. By the 19th century, it had become a romantic ruin, overgrown with vegetation and frequented by artists and writers who found inspiration in its decay.
The Roman Forum is now a carefully preserved archaeological site, part of the larger Colosseum Archaeological Park. Visitors can walk the ancient streets and see restored temples, basilicas, and government buildings.
Visit: Roman Forum Archaeological Area (historic site)
Via di San Bonaventura — Imperial ruins above the Forum
The Palatine rises majestically near where the two women sit, its imperial palaces visible among the ruins. The hill represents the pinnacle of Roman power and luxury, much as Alida had seen herself at the pinnacle of New York society. The ancient seat of emperors provides ironic commentary on the petty jealousies and social climbing of the American expatriates.
The Palatine Hill was the most desirable address in ancient Rome, home to emperors from Augustus onward. The ruins of vast imperial palaces, including the House of Augustus and the Flavian Palace, covered the hilltop.
The Palatine Hill is part of the Colosseum Archaeological Park, featuring extensive ruins of imperial palaces, beautiful gardens, and the Palatine Museum with artifacts from the excavations.
Visit: Palatine Hill Archaeological Site (historic site)
Via Veneto — American expatriate luxury
This represents the type of fashionable hotel where wealthy American widows like Alida Slade and Grace Ansley would stay during their Roman sojourns. The hotel world of expatriate Americans forms the social background to their story, a place where old rivalries and secrets simmer beneath polite conversation.
Via Veneto became Rome's most fashionable street in the early 20th century, lined with luxury hotels catering to wealthy international visitors. The area was the heart of Rome's 'dolce vita' lifestyle.
Via Veneto remains one of Rome's most elegant streets, though somewhat faded from its mid-20th century glamour. The Hotel Excelsior continues to operate as a luxury establishment.
Visit: The St. Regis Rome (restaurant)
Piazza di Spagna — Social gathering place
The Spanish Steps area was a fashionable meeting place for the American and British expatriate community in Rome. Here, in cafes and on the steps themselves, the social world that nurtured both friendship and rivalry between women like Alida and Grace would flourish, full of gossip and social positioning.
Built in the 1720s to connect the Spanish Embassy with the French church of Trinità dei Monti, the Spanish Steps became a favorite gathering place for foreign visitors, especially artists and writers from the 18th century onward.
The Spanish Steps remain one of Rome's most popular gathering spots and tourist attractions, though sitting on the steps themselves is now prohibited to preserve the monument.
Visit: Spanish Steps (landmark)
Piazzale Napoleone I — Afternoon strolls
The gardens provided a respectable place for afternoon walks and meetings among Rome's international society. Young Grace Ansley might have walked here with other American visitors, including perhaps stolen moments with Delphin Slade during their secret affair twenty-five years before the story's main events.
Created in the 17th century for Cardinal Scipione Borghese, the villa and its gardens became a public park in 1903. It was a fashionable place for the international community to promenade.
Villa Borghese is Rome's largest public park, containing museums, a zoo, and beautiful landscaped gardens. It remains a popular place for walks and outdoor recreation.
Visit: Villa Borghese Park (park)
Via dei Fori Imperiali — Monument to imperial ambition
This towering monument to Roman military might stands as a symbol of the imperial grandeur that both attracts and overwhelms American visitors to Rome. The column represents the kind of monumental history that makes the personal dramas of the expatriate community seem both petty and poignant.
Erected in 113 AD to commemorate Emperor Trajan's victory in the Dacian Wars, the column stands 98 feet tall and is decorated with a spiraling frieze depicting the military campaigns.
Trajan's Column stands in excellent condition in the center of Trajan's Forum. Visitors can admire the detailed sculptural reliefs, though access to the interior staircase is restricted.
Visit: Trajan's Column (monument)
Piazza del Campidoglio — Church above the Forum
This ancient church, perched above the Forum, represents the layers of Roman history that fascinate and intimidate American visitors. The church would have been visible from the restaurant terrace, its medieval bells marking the hours as Alida and Grace's conversation moves toward its devastating climax.
Built on the site of the ancient Roman Temple of Juno Moneta, the church dates to at least the 6th century. Its dramatic staircase of 124 steps was built in 1348 as a thanksgiving for the end of the plague.
The church remains active and houses important medieval frescoes. The steep staircase provides dramatic views over the city and is still climbed by pilgrims and tourists.
Visit: Basilica of Santa Maria in Aracoeli (monument)
Piazza del Campidoglio — Michelangelo's masterpiece
The Capitoline Hill, with its magnificent piazza designed by Michelangelo, represents the artistic and cultural heritage that draws Americans like Alida and Grace to Rome. The hill's museums would have been part of the cultural itinerary that formed the backdrop to their social interactions.
The Capitoline was ancient Rome's religious center, home to the Temple of Jupiter. Michelangelo redesigned the piazza in the 16th century, creating one of Rome's most harmonious architectural spaces.
The Capitoline Museums house one of the world's oldest public art collections. The piazza remains exactly as Michelangelo designed it, offering spectacular views over the Forum.
Visit: Capitoline Museums (museum)
More by Edith Wharton: All Edith Wharton books
More novels set in Rome: Browse all Rome books on Map A Story
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