# Mouth of Truth (Bocca della Verità), Rome

> The Mouth of Truth is an ancient marble mask almost 2 metres across in the porch of Santa Maria in Cosmedin. Legend says it bites off the hand of anyone who lies — and visitors queue to be photographed with a hand in its mouth, as in Roman Holiday. Entry is for a small donation and you get a few seconds for your photo; allow 15–30 minutes with the queue.

Web page: https://yesgo.io/italy/rome/bocca-della-verita

- City: [Rome](https://yesgo.io/italy/rome), Italy
- YesGo score: 49/100 (Yes, if nearby)
- Time on site: 20 min
- With kids: Fine with kids
- Entry: Donation of ≈ €2 to reach the mask
- Opening hours: ≈ 9:30–17:50 daily
- Queue: 10–30 minutes by day; a few seconds per photo
- Church: Santa Maria in Cosmedin — free to enter
- Time needed: 15–30 minutes with the church
- Location: Piazza della Bocca della Verità; 10 minutes from the Circus Maximus
- Coordinates: 41.88806, 12.48167
- Facts checked: 10.11.2026

## Key facts

- **≈ 1.75 m** — diameter of the mask (source: English Wikipedia)
- **≈ 1,300 kg** — weight of the marble disc (source: English Wikipedia)
- **1st century** — its likely date — probably a drain cover (source: English Wikipedia)
- **1632** — moved into the porch of Santa Maria in Cosmedin (source: English Wikipedia)
- **1953** — Gregory Peck and Audrey Hepburn's scene in Roman Holiday (source: English Wikipedia)

## Mouth of Truth hours and queue

The mask stands behind a gate in the church porch, reached by a short line and a **small donation** (about €2, according to guides). It's open roughly **9:30–17:50**; in summer and at weekends the queue can take 20–30 minutes. Each visitor gets **a few seconds** for a photo while a custodian keeps things moving.

If the line is long you can see the mask through the railings at the side, but a hand in the mouth means queuing.

## What is the Mouth of Truth?

It's a round marble mask about **1.75 metres** across and weighing about **1,300 kg**, carved with the bearded face of a river god or **Oceanus**, with eyes, nose and mouth pierced through. In the 1st century it was most likely a **drain cover**, perhaps near the nearby Temple of Hercules, the face acting as a grating.

Since **1632** it has stood in the porch of **Santa Maria in Cosmedin**, against the wall to the left of the door, polished by millions of hands.

## The legend and Roman Holiday

From the Middle Ages people said the mask would **bite off the hand of a liar**, and it was supposedly used to test oaths and faithful wives. Later embellishments added a man hidden behind it with a sword.

Its global fame came with **Roman Holiday (1953)**: Gregory Peck pulls his hand back into his sleeve as if bitten, and Audrey Hepburn's shriek is real — she hadn't been told. Nearly every visitor now recreates the shot.

## What's nearby

- **Santa Maria in Cosmedin** — a 6th-century basilica with a Romanesque bell tower and Cosmatesque floor, free.
- **St Valentine's skull** — in a reliquary in the church's side aisle.
- **Temple of Hercules Victor** — a round 2nd-century-BC temple, one of Rome's oldest marble buildings.
- **Temple of Portunus** — the rectangular temple of the god of harbours beside it.
- **Fountain of the Tritons** — an 18th-century Baroque fountain in the square.
- **Circus Maximus** — 5 minutes' walk east.

> **Beating the queue** Arrive at opening, around 9:30, or in the last hour. Tour groups tend to come between 11:00 and 15:00. Have a coin ready for the donation to keep the line moving.

## How to get to the Mouth of Truth

1. Metro line B to **Circo Massimo**, then 10 minutes across the [Circus Maximus](https://yesgo.io/italy/rome/circus-maximus).
2. Buses 23, 44, 81, 160, 170 and 280 stop at Bocca della Verità.
3. From the [Theatre of Marcellus](https://yesgo.io/italy/rome/theatre-of-marcellus), 5 minutes along the Tiber.
4. From [Trastevere](https://yesgo.io/italy/rome/trastevere), cross Ponte Palatino — 10 minutes.

## Is the Mouth of Truth worth it?

Yes, if you love Roman Holiday or have children — it's quick and fun. The mask itself takes five minutes, but Rome's oldest temples and a beautiful medieval church are right here, with the Circus Maximus and the Aventine beyond. Not worth crossing the city for alone, but well worth a stop on the way.

## Before you go

Tick off what's ready — your ticks are saved in this browser.

- [ ] Arrive at opening or near closing
- [ ] Have a coin for the donation
- [ ] Agree who's taking the photo
- [ ] Step into Santa Maria in Cosmedin
- [ ] See the temples of Hercules and Portunus

## Ancient Rome: compare and choose

Ancient sites in Rome rated by YesGo.

- [Pantheon](https://yesgo.io/italy/rome/pantheon) — YesGo score 82/100 (Yes, go) · 30 min · ≈ €5
- [Colosseum](https://yesgo.io/italy/rome/colosseum) — YesGo score 73/100 (Yes, go) · 2 h · ≈ €18
- [Roman Forum](https://yesgo.io/italy/rome/roman-forum) — YesGo score 63/100 (Yes, go) · 1 h 30 min · ≈ €18 with Colosseum
- [Circus Maximus](https://yesgo.io/italy/rome/circus-maximus) — YesGo score 63/100 (Yes, go) · 30 min · Free
- [Trajan's Column](https://yesgo.io/italy/rome/trajans-column) — YesGo score 60/100 (Yes, go) · 15 min · Free
- [Capitoline Hill](https://yesgo.io/italy/rome/capitoline-hill) — YesGo score 58/100 (Yes, go) · 30 min · Free
- [Castel Sant'Angelo](https://yesgo.io/italy/rome/castel-sant-angelo) — YesGo score 57/100 (Yes, go) · 1 h 30 min · ≈ €15–20
- [Arch of Constantine](https://yesgo.io/italy/rome/arch-of-constantine) — YesGo score 57/100 (Yes, go) · 15 min · Free
- [Palatine Hill](https://yesgo.io/italy/rome/palatine-hill) — YesGo score 54/100 (Yes, go) · 1 h 30 min · ≈ €18 with Colosseum
- [Mausoleum of Augustus](https://yesgo.io/italy/rome/mausoleum-of-augustus) — YesGo score 53/100 (Yes, go) · 45 min · ≈ €5, booking
- [Largo di Torre Argentina](https://yesgo.io/italy/rome/largo-di-torre-argentina) — YesGo score 53/100 (Yes, go) · 30 min · Free from street; walkways ≈ €5
- [Pyramid of Cestius](https://yesgo.io/italy/rome/pyramid-of-cestius) — YesGo score 52/100 (Yes, go) · 20 min · Free outside
- [Mouth of Truth](https://yesgo.io/italy/rome/bocca-della-verita) — YesGo score 49/100 (Yes, if nearby) · 20 min · Donation ≈ €2
- [Appian Way](https://yesgo.io/italy/rome/appian-way) — YesGo score 49/100 (Yes, if nearby) · 3 h · Free
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- [Imperial Fora](https://yesgo.io/italy/rome/imperial-fora) — YesGo score 38/100 (Yes, if nearby) · 1 h · Free from the street; museum ≈ €13–15
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- [Ostia Antica](https://yesgo.io/italy/rome/ostia-antica) — YesGo score 31/100 (Yes, if nearby) · 3 h · ≈ €12–18
- [Hadrian's Villa](https://yesgo.io/italy/rome/hadrians-villa) — YesGo score 29/100 (Yes, if nearby) · 3 h · ≈ €12–15

## Palatine to Aventine

The Palatine on your Colosseum ticket, then down to the Circus Maximus, the Mouth of Truth and up the Aventine to the keyhole.

1. [Palatine Hill](https://yesgo.io/italy/rome/palatine-hill) — YesGo score 54/100 (Yes, go) · 1 h 30 min · ≈ €18 with Colosseum
2. [Circus Maximus](https://yesgo.io/italy/rome/circus-maximus) — YesGo score 63/100 (Yes, go) · 30 min · Free
3. [Mouth of Truth](https://yesgo.io/italy/rome/bocca-della-verita) — YesGo score 49/100 (Yes, if nearby) · 20 min · Donation ≈ €2
4. [Aventine Keyhole](https://yesgo.io/italy/rome/aventine-keyhole) — YesGo score 42/100 (Yes, if nearby) · 45 min · Free

## Don't mix it up

Replicas of the Mouth of Truth turn up in theme parks and restaurants worldwide; the original is here in Santa Maria in Cosmedin.

## Tips

- The shortest queue is at opening.
- You get a few seconds — plan your photo.
- The church beside it is free and lovely.
- Rome's oldest temples are across the square.

## Questions

### Where is the Mouth of Truth?

In the porch of Santa Maria in Cosmedin on Piazza della Bocca della Verità, by the Tiber, 10 minutes from the Circus Maximus.

### How much does it cost?

A small donation — about €2, according to guides.

### What are the opening hours?

Roughly 9:30–17:50 daily.

### What is the legend of the Mouth of Truth?

It's said to bite off the hand of anyone who tells a lie.

### What was it originally?

Probably a 1st-century drain cover carved with a river god's face.

### Which film made it famous?

Roman Holiday (1953), with Gregory Peck and Audrey Hepburn.

### How long do you need?

15–30 minutes including the queue and church.

## How we checked

The mask's history, legend and film role from English Wikipedia. The donation amount and hours weren't confirmed with an official source — hence the 'checking' badge.

## Sources

- English Wikipedia, Bocca della Verità and Santa Maria in Cosmedin

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