The House of the Vestal Virgins is a second-century AD reconstruction of a building originally built by Nero. Vesta was the Roman goddess of the hearth and home, and her cult was an important one in ancient Rome. Her temple was in the charge of the so-called vestal virgins, who had the responsibility of keeping the unnameable flame of Vesta alight, and were obligated to remain chaste for the thirty years that they served (they usually started at around age ten). If the flame should go out, the woman responsible was scourged; if she should lose her chastity, she was buried alive (her male partner-in-crime was flogged to death in front of the Curia). Because of the importance of their office, they were accorded special privileges; a choice section in the Colosseum was reserved for them; only they and the empress could ride in a wheeled vehicle within the confines of the city; and they had the right to pardon any criminal who managed to get close enough to one of them to beseech their mercy. A vestal virgin could resign her post if she wished, and she had the benefit of residing in a very comfortable palace: four floors of rooms around a central courtyard, with the round Temple of Vesta at the near end. The rooms are mainly ruins now, though they’re evenhandedly recognizable on the Palatine side, and you can get a good sense of the shape of the place from the remains of the courtyard, still with its pool in the centre and fringed by the statues or inscribed pedestals of the women themselves.
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Emergency cash in Italy
If you run out of money, or there is some kind of emergency, you can have money sent out by contacting your bank at home and have them wire the cash to the nearest bank , but bear in mind that this is an expensive way to send and receive money abroad and can, in some cases take weeks not hours; it should be considered only as a last resort. Many banks have reciprocal arrangements with banks in Italy through which transfers are likely to establish less expensive – check with your bank before travelling.Alternatively you can use a specialist money wiring agency . The cash should be acquirable for collection, usually in local currency, from the company’s local agent (who will make a small charge of roughly £1/$1.50 for tax) within a few minutes of being sent. Western Union or Moneygram charge on a sliding scale (in the UK, roughly £12 for sending £100, £35 for £500, £80 for £2000), so sending larger amounts of cash is better value. Thomas Cook have a much cheaper flat rate (£25 in the UK) but it takes one or two days for the money to arrive.
