Tourist Attraction in Rome:
Circo Massimo

The Circus Maximus is an ancient Roman circus, dedicated to horse racing, built in Rome. Located in the valley between the Palatine and the Aventine, it has been remembered as a venue for games since the beginnings of the city's history: in the valley there was the mythical episode of the Sabine Rat, during the games played by Romulus in honor of the god Consus. Certainly the wide flat space and its proximity to the Tevere hinterland, where from the earliest antiquity took place the trade, made it possible for the site to be the elective space from the foundation of the city to conduct market and exchanges with other peoples, and - consequently - the related ritual activities (think of the Hercules maxim) and socialization, such as games and races. With its 600 meters in length and 140 in width, it is considered the largest man-made showroom. The first wooden installations, probably largely furniture, would date back to Tarquinio Prisco's time, in the first half of the 6th century BC. The construction of first stable plants would go back to 329 BC, when the first carcasses were built. The first masonry structures, especially related to racing equipment, were probably only in the 2nd century BC. and it was Gaio Giulio Cesare to build the first masonry seats and to give the final shape to the building, starting from the 46th BC. The monument was restored after a fire and probably completed by Augusto, who added (as witnessed by a Caracalla coin) to an obelisk of Ramses II's age brought by Egypt, the obelisk of Flaminio, which in the 16th century century was moved by Pope Sisto V in Piazza del Popolo. In 357 a second obelisk was brought to Rome by the will of Emperor Costanzo II and erected by praefectus urbi Memmio Vitrasio Orphite on the plug; today is behind the Basilica of St. John in the Lateran. Other restorations took place under the emperors Tiberius and Nero, and an arch was erected by Tito in the middle of the curvilinear short section of the center: this was a monumental passage integrated into the circus structures. Wide 17 meters and deep 15, it was three connecting loopholes, with four free columns 10 meters high at the front, and behind them four pilasters attached to the pilasters. On the roof was a bronze quadriga; On the front of the circus there was a hallway and a staircase. After a severe fire under Domizia, the reconstruction, probably already begun under this emperor, was completed by Trajan in 103: this period contains most of the preserved remains. There are still reminders under Antonino Pio, Caracalla and Constantine I. The circus remained efficient until the last races organized by Totila in 549. On the south side there is currently a medieval tower called "della Moletta" belonging to the Frangipane. In the arena, wagons ran, with twelve quadriggers (four-horsepower chariots) running seven rounds around the central spine between the two targets. The spine was richly decorated with statues, newsagents and temples, and there were seven eggs and seven dolphins from which the water spilled, used to count the races of the race.

Attractions in Rome