Circus Agonalis

Piazza Navona started out as a stadium named the Circus Agonalis, or the Stadium of Domitian, commissioned by the emperor Domitian in 80 AD and dedicated in 86 AD. It was built as a gift to the people of Rome, and was used mostly for athletic contests. It was Rome's first permanent venue for competitive athletics. It was an intimate stadium seating 15,000 or 20,000 people, a more appropriate venue for foot-races than the much larger Circus Maximus where chariot races were held. The Piazza Navona sits over the interior arena of the stadium. The buildings now at the outer edge of the piazza incorporate the stadium's original lower arcades. Remnants of the original stadium can be seen today, although they were being renovated when I visited and saw them in fall of 2013. Walk out the northern end (the curved end) of Piazza Navona and turn left. Then on your left side are a couple places where you can peek underground at the foundations of the stadium. During the fall of 2013, a very kind worker saw me trying to peek through the renovation covers and allowed me access to a place where I could look down on the renovation (all except the 2nd photo below).

In a subsequent visit to Rome during October of 2014, the underground excavation and conversion into a museum was complete, however when I walked past it during the morning, it wasn't yet open. Still, here are 3 photos of what's visible when looking down from the street.

And a few hours later, the museum, which features the architecture of the building itself as well as serving as a military and gladiator museum, was open and I visited.

An archway in the Circus Agonalis excavations under Piazza Navona
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Roman military helmets, from the 3rd century BC to the 1st century AD, in the Circus Agonalis excavations under Piazza Navona
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Roman military helmets, from the 2rd century BC to the 1st century AD, in the Circus Agonalis excavations under Piazza Navona
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Archways in the Circus Agonalis excavations under Piazza Navona
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An entrance stairway into the stadium from what was once outside of it, in the Circus Agonalis excavations under Piazza Navona
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Archways in the Circus Agonalis excavations under Piazza Navona (panorama of 2 photos)
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An entrance stairway into the stadium from what was once outside of it, in the Circus Agonalis excavations under Piazza Navona
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A Roman military helmet, in the Circus Agonalis excavations under Piazza Navona
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An entrance stairway into the stadium from what was once outside of it, in the Circus Agonalis excavations under Piazza Navona
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Floor, block, and column base, in the Circus Agonalis excavations under Piazza Navona
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Statue torso in Pentelikon marble in the Circus Agonalis excavations under Piazza Navona, discovered during 1930s excavations of the Circus Agonalis, like others such as the Pasquino
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Archways in the Circus Agonalis excavations under Piazza Navona
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Armor of a Thracian Gladiator, or Traex, in the Circus Agonalis excavations under Piazza Navona
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A gladiator helmet, in the Circus Agonalis excavations under Piazza Navona
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A copy in the Circus Agonalis excavations under Piazza Navona of a gladiator helmet from the 1st century AD found in the Gladiator barracks in Pompeii, the original of which is in the Naples Archaeological Museum
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Roman helmets, in the Circus Agonalis excavations under Piazza Navona
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The inside of the travertine Monumental Arch which was the main north entrance located at the center of the curved side of the stadium, and which is visible from the street, in the Circus Agonalis excavations under Piazza Navona
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The Monumental Arch in the Circus Agonalis excavations under Piazza Navona was preceded by a portico (vestibule) with two columns in Porta Santa marble, of which only the bottom meter of this left hand column has survived
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An entrance stairway into the stadium from what was once outside of it, in the Circus Agonalis excavations under Piazza Navona
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A copy in the Circus Agonalis excavations under Piazza Navona of a parade or ceremonial helmet from the 1st century AD which was discovered in the Gladiators' barrack in Pompeii. The original is in the Naples Archaeological Museum.
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An archway which apparently had a stairway beside it, in the Circus Agonalis excavations under Piazza Navona
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An entrance stairway into the stadium from what was once outside of it, in the Circus Agonalis excavations under Piazza Navona
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A column and the base of a fountain (?), in the Circus Agonalis excavations under Piazza Navona
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Portrait of Domitian, in the Circus Agonalis excavations under Piazza Navona
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Location:	41.90022, 12.47250 In Piazza Navona, visible outside the north end of the piazza
Metro:	None, perhaps Spagna. An alternate is to take Bus 40 or 64 (get off at Piazza San Panteleo, 2 stops past Piazza Venezia, then walk north from there).
Time:	about 10 minutes
Cost:	Free
Hours:	Viewable at any time