Lights on Maxentius

The Lights on Maxentius event, curated by Ersilia Maria Loreti, Francesca Romana Cappa and Zètema Progetto Cultura, shows the public the beauty of the monumental complex, both in the sunlight and in the reflections of artistic lighting.

In fact, starting from sunset, when the Villa of Maxentius is surrounded by lighting, three specialized guides located in the key points of the monument, illustrate the history of the great villa of the late imperial age in Italian, English and Italian sign language.

The imposing villa of Emperor Maxentius – the historic opponent of Constantine the Great in the famous battle of the Milvian Bridge in 312 AD. - which extends across a large area between the second and third mile of the ancient Appian Way, is considered one of the most beautiful archaeological sites in the Roman countryside. The complex consists of three main buildings: the palace, a circus - the only one of the Roman circuses still well preserved in all its architectural components - which could host over 10,000 spectators and at the centre of which was placed the reused Obelisk of Domitian by Bernini in his Fountain of the Rivers, and the mausoleum, a circular building, closed inside a quadriportico, dedicated to Romulus Augustus, the son of Maxentius dead very prematurely.

The new artistic lighting system, inaugurated as part of the celebrations for the 2777th Christmas of Rome, makes it possible to enhance the splendor of the remains of the imperial palace, the circus and the dynastic mausoleum even in the evening.

Photo credits: courtesy of the Municipality of Rome official site