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With its 600 metres in length and 140 metres in width, it has undergone countless transformations over the centuries. Since the royal age, all kinds of public events have been held here: horse races, hunts with exotic animals, theatrical performances, public executions, but also religious and triumphal processions. Later, the area became the site of the passage of the Mariana water, hosted agricultural crops and mills, became the private property of the Frangipane family, a Jewish cemetery and then, from the 19th century onwards, housed the Gazometro facilities, warehouses, manufactures, craft businesses and homes.

The environmental redevelopment and museumisation of the area, aimed at recovering the archaeological, historical and landscape values of the monument and optimising its accessibility and usability, were carried out by Roma Capitale, Assessorato alla Crescita Culturale - Sovrintendenza Capitolina ai Beni Culturali in collaboration with the Ufficio Città Storica, with the technical contribution of Zetema Progetto Cultura and carried out by Impresa Celletti Costruzioni Generali.

THE WORKS
The works have restored a new legibility to the monument, redefining the area of the hemicycle by restoring the structures, containing the ground and creating new visitor routes with relative lighting systems.
A panoramic terrace was built on the southern edge of the area, and in order to restore visibility to the archaeological structures and restore the spatial continuum between the different levels, an inclined plane was created to gradually overcome the difference in height between the level of the green area, which is freely accessible, and that of the archaeological enclosure. The adjacent public spaces have also been landscaped and upgraded.
The margins of the archaeological area were provided with a suitable semi-circular fence at the hemicycle, following the perimeter of the Roman construction up to the ideal beginning of the spina, the long platform positioned at the centre of the track that was decorated with statues, small temples, basins, with two large Egyptian obelisks - which since the 16th century have been relocated to Piazza S. Giovanni in Laterano and Piazza del Popolo - and equipped with metae, the large markers around which the chariots turned.
The remains of the spina have been located at depth (the Roman track is more than 5 metres below the current level of the archaeological area) by means of geophysical surveys conducted in collaboration with ISPRA, the Istituto Superiore per la Protezione e la Ricerca Ambientale.

THE VISITING ROUTE
Visitors have access to the galleries that once led to the steps of the cavea (the senators on the ground floor and the plebs on the upper floor). In the galleries, each of which is about 100 metres long, the remains of the ancient latrines can be seen. We continue along the external paved road found during the excavations, in which a large drinking trough made of travertine slabs stands out. Here it is also possible to visit some of the rooms that were used as shops (tabernae) to meet the needs of the large public of the games: inns, shops for the sale of foodstuffs, warehouses, wolf-shops, laundries, but also offices of moneychangers needed to support the betting on horse races.
In the central area of the amphitheatre, the bases of the Arch of Titus are visible, one of the largest triumphal arches in Rome, dedicated to him on the occasion of the Jewish victory. Investigations have brought to light the bases of the frontal columns and some important architectural fragments that have allowed archaeologists to establish its original dimensions (the columns were at least 10 metres high), thanks also to the virtual anastylosis of the monument carried out in collaboration with the University of Roma Tre - Department of Architecture. During the excavations, parts of the large inscription, marked with bronze letters, on which the dedication by the Roman Senate and People to the emperor was engraved, were also found.
The redevelopment of the area also involved the medieval Torre della Moletta (built in the 12th century), on which the ancient walls were restored and a demanding static consolidation project was carried out. An internal staircase leads up to the upper floor, a splendid panoramic viewpoint over the archaeological area, allowing the dimensions of the Circus to be fully appreciated.
The numerous stone fragments in the area have also been partly arranged to decorate the open space. In particular, at the foot of the palatial hemicycle, some elements from the ancient building (steps, cornices, capitals, shop thresholds, etc.) have been placed on one side, while on the other side a series of coloured marble columns found during the archaeological excavations have been placed. Finally, architectural fragments of Luna marble from the excavation of the Arch of Titus have been placed in the space in front of the tower.