El Serco Maximo: is this the best setting for megaconcertos in Rome?

Another one of the concerts that set off the alarm / EFE at the Circo Maximo in Rome

American rapper Travis Scott’s concert at the Circus Maximus in Rome raised the alarm: ¿An archaeological park with more than 2,800 years of history is the ideal place for 60,000 fanatics to sing and dance until the seismometers go off and crush them Incite terror of the Romans?

The debate began when firefighters in the capital received ten calls in the last few hours of the night asking whether it was causing an earthquake: the earthquake turned out to be Travis’ “fans’ excitement”, as confirmed by the National Institute of Geophysics and Vulcanology (INGV).

INGV reported, “During the concert, there were several episodes in which the peak of the fans’ enthusiasm was very evident”, as happened “when Italy won the final of the Eurocopa in 2021 or Napoli won the league in 2023”. Several calls were also received from panicked citizens.

Travis Scott, who presented his new and expected album “Utopia” in Rome for the first time in the world, is the latest in a long list of artists who have passed through the greatest show building of antiquity over the past few weeks.

From the iconic “Boss” Bruce Springsteen to the legendary bands Guns N’ Roses and Imagine Dragons, passing through Marco Mengoni, the last Italian representative at the Eurovision Festival, they all performed on the huge esplanade, 600 meters long and 140 wide, between the Palatine. and the Aventino Hills.

a memorial or a concert hall

“The Serco Maximo is a monument. This is not a stadium, this is not a concert hall. These rock mega-concerts are in danger, as well as the Palatine next door”, assured Alfonsina Russo, director of the Archaeological Park of the Colosseum, which is one of the most visited in Italy and is located a few meters from the old stadium.

The archaeologist expressed his hope that the Roman Ayuntamiento, which gave certain technical requirements for the megaconcierto that were not respected, “gives due importance to the Circo Maximo” in order to “fully understand its history and its function in ancient Rome”. and showed itself in favor of “selected programmes, such as opera and ballet”.

“There has been no damage to property so far, but we do not know what is going to happen. The underground tunnels at O ​​Que Tener En Cuenta Que El Serco Maximo are archaeological pieces thousands of people can’t jump through for hours. I requested an immediate review of the damage”, the AGI agency added.

His words were strongly opposed by Alessandro Onorato, a councilor for major events on the Capital City Council, who said that Russo had reminded him “of our fathers 30 years ago” and classified the dispute as “infertile”: 60,000 young people of 20 years of age and zero incidence”.

“Escuture à la superintendent decides: ‘there is only opera or ballet to do in the Circo Maximo’. Well… of course she doesn’t decide what is done in the Circo Maximo”, she said emphatically, while Mariano Angelucci, president of the Commission for Tourism and Major Events, assured that “there is a need to look at the past and the present.” Future”.

He explained that “Travis Scott entered the history of live concerts with Kanye West” and recalled that last year, thanks to the shows of Circo Maximo, the Ayuntamiento, in addition to taking care of his legacy, donated 2.1 million Euros were collected. “a great tourist, economic and labor benefit”.

evaluate case by case

Italy’s Culture Minister, Gennaro Sangiuliano, made clear his support for Russo: “Travis Scott is a successful artist and he needs to perform in Rome, but I think it would have been better to find a more suitable place for his show”.

“The important thing is the fulfillment of the technical requirements that come with the Bueno Visa for organizing the events. It would be a mistake to focus on the basis of damages, without evaluating them on a case-by-case basis, the Daily Repubblica explained.

The Circo Maximo performed in ancient Rome at horse and quad races as well as at executions, gladiatorial battles, triumphal parades or at events related to the political, social or religious life of the city.

In its 2,800-year history, it suffered several fires and reconstructions and remained active until the first decades of the 6th century, when it became, among other things, an agricultural area, a private estate, or a Jewish cement site.