Circus Maximus

Wanderweite von Aroma di Roma Maison (weniger als 2 km)

To an untrained eye the Circus of Maxentius just looks like a vast green pasture where locals jog or take their dogs for a walk, but in ancient times this oblong ground was, as its name indicates, Rome’s most famous and by far oldest circus.The Circus of Maxentius was an arena for various kinds of sports and athletic competitions, although it gained fame mainly for its chariot races which often lasted from the early morning to dusk, with as many as one hundred held a day.It could hold up to between two hundred and fifty thousand and three hundred thousand spectators either seated or standingRecent excavation has brought to light relics which help to give us a better idea of what the circus used to look like with its countless shops, stalls and taverns flanking the track area.

The Italian military were displaying their aircraft and tanks at circus Maximus when I was there, which was a wonderful surprise for a member of the British RAF.

Try running here at sunset or just before - the light is magical!

Now little more than a huge basin of dusty grass, the Circo Massimo was ancient Rome’s largest chariot racetrack, a 250,000-seater capable of holding up to a quarter of the city’s entire population. The 600m track circled a wooden dividing island with ornate lap indicators and Egyptian obelisks.Chariot races were held here as far back as the 4th century BC, but it wasn’t until Trajan rebuilt it after the AD 64 fire that it reached its maximum grandeur.