PICTURES FROM ITALY (Est. 2001)
  • Private Tours
    • Private Tours of Rome
    • Private Tours of Florence
    • Private Tours of Venice
  • Contact
  • Rome
  • Vatican
  • Florence
  • Venice
  • Tuscany
  • Gallery
  • Year in Art
Walking Tours of Rome

Money Has No Smell

27/4/2019

 
Walking Tours of Rome​
Vespasiano, Piazzale Numa Pompilio, Rome
An ancient Roman urinal, known as a Vespasiano

Standing in splendid isolation, on the south side of the busy Piazzale Numa Pompilio, is a curious brick structure, which looks rather like a sentry box. It is, in fact, an orinatoio (urinal), which is commonly known as a vespasiano. 

​The legacies of the emperor Titus Flavius Vespasianus (b. 09/ r. 69-79) are many and diverse. He gave the world the largest amphitheatre ever to be built, known today as the Colosseum. He also gave his name (albeit involuntarily) to the Italian public urinal. 
​
How such an object came to be named after one of Rome's greatest emperors is an interesting story and one which is related by Gaius Suetonius Tranquillus (69-130) in his book De Vita Caesarum (Lives of the Caesars). Vespasian gained this rather dubious honour as the result of a tax he introduced on the collection of urine. Urine contains ammonia, which was used by ancient Roman fullers to clean togas.

When his eldest son and heir, Titus, questioned whether this was an honourable way of making money his father is said to have held a coin up to his son's nose, asking if it smelt of anything! Titus had to conclude that 'pecunia non olet', money has no smell. The phrase is still used to argue that the value of money is not tainted by its origins.

Vespasiano, or ancient Roman pissoir, Piazzale Numa Pompilio, Rome
Vespasiano

Comments are closed.
    My name is David Lown and I am an art historian from Cambridge, England.

    Since 2001 I have been living in Italy, where I run
    ​ walking tours of Florence, Rome &
    Venice.

    Search Pictures From Italy:

    Blog Posts

    November 2019
    July 2019
    June 2019
    May 2019
    April 2019


Follow Pictures From Italy on Facebook

Private Tours of Rome, Florence & Venice

Copyright © David Lown 2001-2019. All Rights Reserved. 
  • Private Tours
    • Private Tours of Rome
    • Private Tours of Florence
    • Private Tours of Venice
  • Contact
  • Rome
  • Vatican
  • Florence
  • Venice
  • Tuscany
  • Gallery
  • Year in Art