Villa di Massenzio

The Villa of Maxentius is an imperial complex on the Appian Way, comprising a palace, circus and dynastic mausoleum. Maxentius ruled from 306 until his death at the Battle of the Milvian Bridge in 312.

Why it matters

The palace, circus and dynastic mausoleum were conceived as a single complex. The site also incorporates remains of a Republican-era villa and later became part of the estate associated with Herodes Atticus and Annia Regilla. The mausoleum is known as the Tomb of Romulus, after Maxentius's son, who died in 309. The circus preserves its starting gates, track and seating contours; the Obelisk of Domitian that once stood on its spina was later moved to Bernini's Fountain of the Four Rivers in Piazza Navona.

What to notice

The palace occupied the rise behind the circus, its rooms now marked by ruined walls. The circus retains visible traces of its starting gates, track and seating. The circular mausoleum, probably built on two levels, is surrounded by a quadriportico that linked it to the palace. Its crypt contains a central pillar and an annular corridor lined with niches for sarcophagi, leading to a quadrangular vestibule thought to have provided access to the upper level.

Context and history

After Maxentius's defeat at the Milvian Bridge in 312, the complex passed to Constantine. In later centuries the grounds returned to agriculture. Excavations began systematically in 1825, when Prince Giovanni Torlonia engaged archaeologist Antonio Nibby; the Torlonia estate farmed the land until its expropriation in 1943. The complex then entered the public domain and became part of Rome's civic museum system.