The view from the street behind the Forum. Many famous structures can be seen just from this sidewalk. I've pasted two photos together here - clearly, the idea is not to create a seamless photo but simply to give a sense of perspective.

There's still lots of active excavation going on nearby. This is a little chunk of the Foro di Caesare along the Via del Fori Imperiali, just behind the Curia and the Round Temple of Romulus. Construction began on it in 54 B.C.

A bit of floor in the area of working excavation.

The back of the Basilica Maxentius, as seen from the Via del Foro Imperiali.

Down the street just a bit further, we found a surprisingly helpful information center. The building looked like a particularly sweaty YMCA, and had a large section curtained off with tarps for undeterminable reasons, but decorating the walls were lightly carved pieces of stone. Compare this piece with the drawing of the plans for the basilicas - this little scrap of rock is part of the original plans for the Forum.

A satellite view shows which pieces we have the plans for. Take a good look at the two photographs, and you can match the trapezoidal edge at the bottom of the photograph above to the edge that's nearest the river in this picture.