Circus of Maxentius

The Circo di Massenzio lies about five kilometres southeast of central Rome along the Via Appia Antica, within today's Parco Regionale dell'Appia Antica. It is part of a late-antique villa complex built by Emperor Maxentius between 306 and 312, which also includes his palace and the mausoleum of his son Romulus. Maxentius died in 312 at the Battle of the Milvian Bridge against Constantine and his building project was never completed. At more than 500 metres long, the circus is the second-largest surviving Roman chariot-racing venue after the Circus Maximus, and the still-standing carceres (starting boxes) and central spina give an unusually clear sense of how such a track worked. The site is part of the Appia Antica museum trail and is open with reduced hours in winter.