The Temple of Venus and Rome was ancient Rome's largest temple, and Hadrian designed it himself. Construction began in 121 CE on the Velia Hill, swallowing the entrance to Nero's Golden House. Twenty-four elephants moved Nero's colossal statue to make room.

Hadrian's design featured two cellae arranged back-to-back, one for each goddess, creating a palindrome in architecture: ROMA facing the Forum, AMOR (Venus) facing the Colosseum. When the emperor showed his plans to Apollodorus, Trajan's celebrated architect, the response was withering. The statues were too tall for their chambers, Apollodorus said. If the goddesses tried to stand, they'd crack their heads on the ceiling. Hadrian banished him and likely had him executed.

VoiceMap's self-guided audio tours use the temple to trace imperial vanity through stone, explaining how Hadrian's architectural ambitions buried Nero's excesses while revealing the deadly consequences of criticising an emperor who fancied himself an architect.