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A vast racecourse occupying the whole central part of the Palatine mount.
It's hard to imagine that, as you walk along the splendid Piazza Navona, the remains of a vast stadium lie beneath your feet, some 450 m beneath the pavement! Domitian's stadium was built in 85 and 86 to celebrate the Certamen Capitolino, a sporting competition. The stadium, built of travertine blocks and bricks, measured approximately 275 x 106 m. Its perimeter was decorated with a two-level portico and, on the lower level, marble pillars must have been present (their bases can still be seen). The stands could accommodate up to 30,000 spectators. In 1936, excavations uncovered part of the cavea. Today, two different tours are available to discover the two areas of this Unesco World Heritage site: the central hemicycle and the eastern hemicycle. The audioguide, available in French, is included in the ticket and provides further information on the stadium (a children's version is also available). The various explanatory panels look back at the history of sport in ancient Rome, and give a variety of anecdotes about the Roman emperors. The normal tour, in 16 stages, includes a visit to the central hemicycle only. The exclusive 21-step tour, with a limited number of seats, also includes a visit to the eastern part, in the basement of the École française de Rome, on Piazza Navona. On weekends, tours with virtual reality headsets are available (€4/person, in addition to the ticket price).
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