Subura

You are entering one of the most congested and disreputable parts of Rome, the street and district called Subura. The street is lined with closely packed buildings as far as you can see--shops of every description, large tenements, taverns, and brothels. Smells of cooking mingle with less savory odors from the sweating, jostling mob of people on the street. Most of the people are going about their daily activities, but you clutch your coin pouch more tightly when you spot men lurking in the dark doorways. You think to yourself that the poets Juvenal and Martial were right when they called this area fervens (boiling hot) and clamosa (full of noise and shouting); you remember particularly what Juvenal said about this district in Satire 3. But despite the difficulties, the liveliness and excitement of the Subura are contagious.

This photo actually shows an alleyway in Pompeii.