The row of columns immediately in front (north) of the Roman Theatre is all that’s left of the forum, once one of the largest public squares (about 100m by 50m) in Imperial Rome. Built in AD 190, the square was flanked on three sides by columns and on the fourth side by the Seil Amman stream, though almost everything lies underneath the modern streets.
The plaza has been completely renovated in recent years, bringing back something of the sense of grand public space, albeit with a modern aesthetic.