Nothing travels faster in Rome than a rumour told on the steps of the Basilica Julia. By the time the sun has crossed the Forum, a whisper about who left which villa, and wearing what, has reached every tavern from the Subura to the Aventine.
This week the gossip has been unusually generous. A famous queen was seen leaving a dictator's villa at an hour when respectable guests are long in bed. A senator's wife was spotted in the company of a man whose name nobody will say out loud, which of course means everybody knows it.
We have collected the five stories you will hear at every dinner party this week. Before you repeat any of them, test yourself: how well do you really know what Rome is talking about?
Whatever your score, remember the first rule of Roman society: the rumour you repeat today is the one told about you tomorrow.
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