Sightseeing tours of Rome: the mouth of truth as a great attraction in Rome

SIGHTSEEING TOURS OF ROME: THE MOUTH OF TRUTH AS A GREAT ATTRACTION IN ROME

People visiting Rome can not skip the mouth of truth, a large marble disk under the portico of the church of santa Maria in Cosmedin, located near the Circus Maximus.

As Gregory Peck demonstrated to Audrey Hepburn in the movie " Roman Holidays " the mouth is supposed to cut off the hands of liars who insert their paws.

According to the local legend, a former priest used to keep a scorpion in back to bite the fingers of anyone he felt was lying. The purpose of this disk is still unclear.

One theory says that it was made to collect the faithful's donations to God, which where introduced through the open mouth. Another theory says that this five feet disk was a cistern covers.

During the medieval times the mouth of truth was particularly popular with husbands anxious to test faithfulness of their wives.

Cities like Rome, with 3.000 thousands years of history, love also legends and the Mouth of Truth is visited every day by approximately 2.000 visitors.