Overview
To the left of the cathedral, beyond a 6-column temple, you pass through an ancient opening to enter the horseshoe-shaped Forum Cryptoporticus, partly underground, with a barrel vault and divided into two aisles by a series of lowered arcades and massive travertine pillars, illuminated by small, hopper windows. This gallery mainly served the purpose of containing and levelling the gently sloping ground on which the sacred area stood. Between the 3rd and 4th century, the cryptoporticus probably became a warehouse. It was connected to the portico of the forum and thus offered a sheltered route in winter. It also supported a portico that framed the two adjacent temples.
