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The Vestal Virgins were the six priestesses of the goddess Vesta. They were chosen from elite families as young girls between the ages of six and ten. Their period of service lasted thirty years. During the first ten years, they learned their duties from the older priestesses. During the second decade, they performed the duties of priestess, and in the final decade they trained the young girls who were to serve as priestesses.
The primary duties of the Vestal Virgins were to tend the sacred fire on the sacred hearth of the Temple of Vesta, to guard their storehouse and ritually clean it, to harvest the first grain, and from it to produce the sacred salted meal (mola salsa) that was used to sanctify the animals used as offerings in sacrifice. They were also required to remain chaste for their period of service, that is, not to have sex with any man. If they failed to remain chaste, or they let the fire on the hearth go out, they were subject to very strict penalties. Unchaste Vestals were buried alive at the Colline Gate in Rome, and the state conducted special ceremonies of expiation to appease the anger of the gods at this violation.
However, the Vestals also had significant privileges, far more than most women of ancient Rome. For example, they were allowed to make a will without the oversight of a male guardian, a privilege that was denied to most women, who had to remain under the legal control of their fathers, husbands, or guardians for their entire lives. Other privileges included the right of having the fasces, symbol of the Roman state, carried in front of them when they appeared in public, and the right to spare those who were to be put to death by the state, if they appealed to a Vestal on the way to the place of execution.
The Vestals lived together apart from their families in the Atrium Vestae. Statues of these women still stand in this area, such as the one you see on this page. You can visit the Atrium Vestae by walking east once you leave this temple.