Turicum Calling: Traces of Ancient Rome in Modern Zurich

The Roman Empire once stretched across more than 20 present-day countries — nearly half of Europe. So wouldn’t it only be fair for the Itchy Feet map to reflect that Roman legacy, too?

Let’s zoom in on one such place: Turicum, the Roman name for what we now know as Zurich.

From Customs Station to Cultural Crossroads

Turicum began as a modest Roman vicus (settlement) in the 1st century AD, with a customs station on the Limmat River. The location was strategic: goods traveling north from Italy had to be transferred here from lake vessels to river ships. It quickly became a hub for trade and culture — and a key part of the Roman transport network along the Via Augusta.

But Zurich’s story begins even earlier. Long before the Romans arrived, the area had been settled by the Celtic Helvetii and shows traces of habitation going back to the Bronze Age (1000–800 BCE).

Roman Remains Beneath Modern Streets

The heart of Roman Zurich lies in places many locals pass by every day:

• Lindenhof, once the site of a Roman fort

• Weinplatz, Schipfe, and Limmatquai, where trade and baths thrived

• Thermengasse, where the discovery of Roman baths in 1983 brought ancient daily life back into view — now protected under a street grid and open to the public.

The baths, heated and communal, were not only for hygiene but for socializing — think of them as Roman wellness centers. They were the first place travelers from the south could rest and refresh after crossing the Alps.

The Lindenhofkeller today reveals layers of Zurich’s past, from Roman times through the Carolingian era, showing how the site evolved from frontier outpost to medieval stronghold.

Rome in Zurich Today — A Playful Parallel

If you look closely, you can still find echoes of Rome all over the city:

• Guild robes at Sechseläuten may not be togas, but they carry the same air of ceremony and status.

• Mansions on Zürichberg and along the lakefront could be seen as today’s Roman villas — Zurich’s modern patricians enjoying life with a view.

• Gourmet restaurants echo Roman feasts, where chefs create dishes worthy of emperors.

• Bankers and investors, with wealth tucked away in digital accounts, are the new moneyed elite — modern-day equites or senators of the financial world.

• The ZSC Lions, battling it out on ice, could easily be imagined as Zurich’s gladiators, cheered on by roaring crowds in playoff season. (Bonus points to their top scorer Andrighetto for that perfectly Roman-sounding name!)

• Zurich’s many lawyers and legal scholars, particularly at the university, still live in the shadow of Roman law — and wouldn’t senators be a fitting nickname for some of them?

What Remains

Though the Roman Empire faded, its traces are hidden — sometimes literally — just beneath our feet. In Zurich, the past and present are in quiet conversation: Roman baths below modern toy stores, legal codes shaped by millennia-old thought, and parades that carry an ancient echo.

What about you — have you ever spotted Roman traces in your city or while traveling? Or do you know a place where ancient history still peeks through the everyday? L