A busy transport hub, Largo di Torre Argentina is set around the sunken Area Sacra, and the remains of four Republican-era temples, all built between the 2nd and 4th centuries BC. These ruins, among the oldest in the city, are reckoned to be where Julius Caesar was murdered in 44 BC and are home to a thriving stray cat population and a volunteer-run cat sanctuary. In June 2023, renovations completed, allowing visitors to access the site up close.
On the piazza’s western flank stands Teatro Argentina, Rome’s premier theater.
Curiously, the area's name has nothing to do with Argentina, the South American country. Rather it's a derivation of Argentatoratum (the Latin name for modern-day Strasbourg), the hometown of a papal master of ceremonies, Johannes Burckardt, whose 15th-century palace covered much of the surrounding area.
