The overlooked corners inside

• Schola of the Heralds of the Circus Maximus

  On the lowest terrace of the Palatine Hill's southern slope, tucked against the hillside and oriented directly along the long axis of the Circus Maximus, stands a third-century brick-and-mortar building — the Schola Praeconum, or Schola of the Heralds. Built during the Severan dynasty, it was the headquarters of the praecones, a guild of free men operating under state protection. On race days it was their voices that rang out across the stands, announcing the processional entry (pompa circensis), the names of winners, and the emperor's ceremonial schedule. The building comprised three vaulted rooms arranged around a rectangular colonnaded courtyard; one column of green cipollino marble still stands.

  Sources: turismoroma.it · wantedinrome.com · finestresullarte.info

• Belvedere Romolo e Remo

  Walking along Via dei Cerchi, which follows the northern edge of the circus, you reach a viewing platform near the western curved end: the Belvedere Romolo e Remo, named for Rome's legendary twin founders. It is the most accessible and panoramically complete stopping point on the entire Circus Maximus circuit. From the platform, the full 600-metre oval stretches out in front of you — starting end, curved turns, the ghost of the central spine all legible in one glance. The platform is wheelchair-accessible, free of charge, and open at all hours.

  Sources: turismoroma.it · alamy.com

• Circo Maximo Experience

  On the southern side of the circus, beside the entrance on Viale Aventino, the Circo Maximo Experience uses augmented and virtual reality to reconstruct the track as it once appeared. Equipped with Zeiss VR One headsets, visitors move through eight stops over roughly forty minutes, watching the landscape shift from an archaic marshy valley to the grandeur of the imperial-era circus. The most arresting moment comes at the Arch of Titus: the arch, built in AD 81 to celebrate the conquest of Jerusalem and originally some twenty metres tall, survives today only as foundations — but through the headset it rises back to full height on the exact spot where it stood.

  Sources: circomaximoexperience.it · turismoroma.it · romeing.it

• Scavi del Circo Massimo

  Beneath the grass, another layer of the Circus Maximus can be entered. At the southern starting-gate end of the track, the Scavi del Circo Massimo (archaeological excavations) open into the arched substructure galleries that once ran beneath the seating. These corridors were the original access passages to the stands; they also housed shops, lodging, and small offices. Each walkable gallery extends about 100 metres, and along the way you can see original floor tiles, arch stones, and the remains of ancient latrines. The Capitoline Superintendency has been excavating in stages since 2009; fragments of the Arch of Titus recovered here allowed scholars to reconstruct the proportions of the arch's facade.

  Sources: zetema.it · turismoroma.it · ciceroinrome.blogspot.com

• Torre della Moletta

  Walk to the southern edge of the site and you'll come face to face with something that doesn't quite belong: a squat medieval brick tower, the Torre della Moletta, rising incongruously from ground that was once packed with roaring crowds. It has nothing to do with ancient Rome — it was built in the Middle Ages as part of the fortified holdings of the Frangipane, one of Rome's most powerful noble families. Standing amid the world's greatest chariot-racing venue, it serves as an unlikely reminder that when the races stopped, this land didn't simply fall asleep. It was seized, built over, and reinvented, one generation at a time.

FAQ