Walking around Catania you can find yourself in front of unknown monuments or structures, immersed in degradation without any care. Many works from the Roman era, such as the Baths of Piazza Dante, the Roman Forum and the various Hypogea, live daily in neglect. Others, however, like theAnfiteatro Romano, the Achillian Baths and Rotonda , Greco-Roman Theatre andOdeon are fundamental stages open to the public for the discovery of Roman Catania. In reality, there are other Roman structures and complexes that have now completely disappearedLet's discover their ancient location and history together.
Roman Catania: the Circus Maximus
During the golden ages of ancient Rome, Catania boasted a vast array of monumental structures and works. Just consider the importance of the Black Colosseum (the Roman Amphitheater) in our beloved land, second in size to the Colosseum in Rome.
In addition to these well-known Roman monuments in Catania, there are some that have been demolished or buried by time. One of these was the Circus Maximus which was located southwest of the Castello UrsinoIt is thought that it could hold up to 250.000 people. Bolaro reminds us of its history, destroyed by the lava of 1669. Circus Maximus there remain only two Egyptian obelisks (metae): one placed inside the courtyard of the Ursino Castle itself; the other is placed on the back of the Liotru in Piazza Duomo.
Il Thistle and Decumano (orthogonal axes around which public buildings were built) show us the extension of ancient Roman Catania: from the Amphitheatre to the Circus Maximus, one to the north and the other to the south of the city.
The Naumachia, the Hippodrome and the Gymnasium of Roman Catania
La Naumachia It was located near the Church of San Giuseppe, now destroyed. It is said that inside the artificially filled structure, animals reproduced naval battlesIt was surrounded by a lush grove and even contained a pool used as an aquarium. The cave, dug into the clay, was surrounded by juniper and poplar trees. The colossal monument (200m x 131m) was destroyed forever by the lava from the 1669 eruption. The work has never been excavated.
Immediately next to the Naumachia there was also a Racecourse and a GymnasiumThe Hippodrome was approximately 1872 feet long. Races in honor of the god Bacchus were held here. It is thought that one of the two obelisks marking the starting line is actually the one on the back of the Liotru, the symbol of Catania, and not the one in the Circus Maximus as is commonly believed.
Cover photo: Matthias Süßen Cc By Sa 4.0
