Rome’s newest tourist spot: The site where Julius Caesar was assassinated

An ancient square where historians believe Julius Caesar was stabbed to death — one of the most infamous assassinations in history — was opened to the public for the first time Tuesday.

The Sacred Area of ​​Largo Argentina, containing the remains of four ancient temples in a bustling part of downtown Rome, can now be seen up close via a lowered walkway for 5 euros ($5.50).

The site also contains the remains of the Curia of Pompey, a central meeting place for senators where it is believed Caesar was stabbed to death on March 15 (the Ides of March) in 44 B.C.

Successive generations had built on the site since ancient times, and it was only rediscovered when buildings were demolished in 1926. Three years later, another dictator, Mussolini, inaugurated it as an important historical site.

Two new exhibition areas also document the many archaeological finds at the site over the ages. The works were funded by the fashion house Bulgari and managed by the Capitoline Superintendency for Cultural Heritage.

The site could previously only be seen from street level and had become overgrown with weeds. Tourists’ photos posted online show the area being enjoyed by stray cats — there is cat sanctuary on a corner of the square.

“One of the most beautiful and precious places in Rome is finally fully usable by Roman citizens and tourists, who from now on will be able to see from nearby wonderful archaeological finds from various periods of the history of our city,” Miguel Gotor, councilor for culture for the city of Rome, said in a news release.

The first recorded structure of importance on the site dates to the early third century with the construction of what is referred to as Temple C, probably dedicated to the Roman goddess Feronia.

Fires in 111 B.C. and A.D. 80 destroyed much of the earliest buildings, with those remains buried under a new floor built by the emperor Domitian in the first century.

Caesar's death has endured in Western culture as one of the most seismic political events in history, even as its details and wider implications continue to be debated.

In Shakespeare’s dramatic retelling, the dying dictator last words were “Et tu, Brute?” after he saw that his old friend Marcus Brutus, one of the murder conspiracy’s main ringleaders, was among his killers.

What is agreed upon is that Brutus and a group of Roman senators had grown concerned over the size of Caesar's power and influence and his undermining of the Republic.

However, Caesar's killing unleashed a period of reprisal and civil war that killed thousands and effectively killed the Republic. His named successor, his adopted 18-year-old son, Octavian, became what is regarded as Rome's first emperor in 27 B.C., known by then as Augustus.

Such is Italy's vast wealth of archaeological treasures that many important sites have yet to be excavated and thousands of found items have never been put on public display.

Historians' understanding of ancient Rome is still evolving as more items are found. In April a new study shed light on the use of Roman wineries in theatrical ceremonies, while in May archaeologists revealed how people were killed in an earthquake triggered by the immense eruption at Vesuvius in A.D. 79.

CORRECTION (June 21, 2023, 5:27 p.m.): An earlier version of this article misstated when Caesar was killed and when Augustus became emperor. Caesar was killed in 44 B.C., not A.D. 44, and Augustus became emperor in 27 B.C., not A.D. 27.

This article was originally published on NBCNews.com