Anfiteatro romano della Civitella

The Roman amphitheatre of La Civitella preserves an elliptical arena within Chieti's ancient urban landscape. Its surviving walls record the place of gladiatorial spectacle in Teate during the early imperial period.

Why it matters

Built in the first century AD, the amphitheatre adapted public entertainment architecture to the slopes of the Civitella area. It belongs to the wider transformation of an earlier sacred landscape into the monumental fabric of Roman Teate.

What to notice

The arena enclosure and the remains of an honorary tribune are principal surviving features. Bichromatic opus reticulatum, combined with brick courses, gives the masonry a patterned appearance. These structures make the relationship between spectacle, spectators and the shape of the ground legible despite the loss of much of the building.

Context and history

Archaeological work beginning in the 1960s revealed the amphitheatre and traces of earlier buildings in the area. Finds from the wider Civitella excavations, including architectural terracottas from preceding sanctuaries, contributed to the nearby archaeological museum. The relationship between site and collection explains how this part of Chieti changed across the Republican and imperial periods.