Mouth of Truth

Originally likely a Roman drain cover or fountain decoration carved with the face of a river god, the Bocca della Verità sits in the portico of the church of Santa Maria in Cosmedin. Medieval legend claimed it would snap shut on the hand of anyone who told a lie while holding it inside its mouth, a superstition that became a global photo tradition after Audrey Hepburn and Gregory Peck used it in the 1953 film Roman Holiday. The queue to pose with it can be longer than the two-minute stop itself deserves, but it's a fun, low-effort addition to a walk through the area. Pair it with the church behind it and the ancient temples nearby for a fuller stop.