If I just saw a photo without context, I'd probably move on.

A stone face in a church wall doesn't look like something you fly to Rome for.

And then you come to the place.

There's a line of tourists in front of you. Everyone puts their hand in, somebody smiles, somebody makes a serious face for a photo, and in a few seconds they leave.

This simplicity is perhaps why Bocca della Verità has been one of the city's most famous minor attractions for decades.

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What is Bocca della Verità?

Bocca della Verità means "Mouth of Truth".

It is a large stone circle from ancient Rome, approximately 1.75 metres in diameter and weighing over 1 tonne.

No one today knows for sure exactly what it was originally used for.

The most common theories are that it was:

• a sewer cover
• part of an ancient drainage system
• a decorative element of an ancient building

Today it is located in the entrance portico of the church of Santa Maria in Cosmedin.

The legend that made the place famous

According to an old legend, if you put your hand in your mouth and lie, the stone will bite it off.

The legend has been around for hundreds of years, which is why crowds of tourists head here to see what the truth is.

I didn't notice any bitten off hands at the site, so I guess the legend will really be just a legend 🤫 .

Another big wave of popularity came from the movie Roman Holiday.

The scene with Audrey Hepburn and Gregory Peck made the place a tourist symbol of Rome.

To this day, you'll see dozens of people trying to replicate the same photo.

The queues tend to be longer than you expect.

I think that's what surprised me the most. The visit itself takes a few minutes. Or a few seconds.

The wait can be considerably longer.

Mostly:

• morning
• weekends
• during high season

... you can spend more than 30 minutes in line.

Admission and opening hours

The Mouth of Truth is already on the church grounds behind the entrance gate.

They are open daily 9:30-17:50.

Admission is free.

How to visit the Mouth of Truth without a queue?

If you want to try the legend and put your hand in the mouth of the statue, then you probably can't avoid the queue.

You're most likely to see short queues immediately after opening time in the morning and then in the off-season (especially Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays during the winter).

If you don't want to stick your hand in your mouth, you can take a photo of the sculpture normally from the sidewalk.

How to put it on your itinerary

For example, the following itineraries work well:

• Caracalla Baths → Circus Maximus → Bocca della Verità → Aventine Keyhole
• Vittorio Emanuele II Monument → Bocca della Verità → Isola Tiberina → Trastevere

What to see around

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