Rome 1960: Fusing the city’s ancient past with its present and future
One of the main goals of the Organising Committee for the Olympic Games Rome 1960 was to showcase the city’s rich cultural heritage and connect its ancient history and that of the Olympic Games with the present. It achieved this by staging a number of events at some of the city’s ancient venues.
Dating back to 217 AD and a magnificent example of the grandeur of Roman architecture, the Caracalla Baths hosted the gymnastics competition. The Basilica of Maxentius, built in 303 AD, is an equally impressive construction and was the venue for the wrestling events. Both of these ancient sites continue to attract tourists all year round.
The Arch of Constantine, situated near the Colosseum and the largest surviving Roman triumphal arch, provided the finish line for the marathon. Erected in 315 AD, it was also the start and finish line for the commemorative marathon held to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the Rome Olympic Games in 2010.
At the same time, Rome 1960 provided an opportunity to drive the development of the Italian capital’s transport and tourism infrastructure and cemented the city’s status as a leading international destination. Built in time for the Olympic Games, Leonardo da Vinci Airport in Fiumicino became Rome’s main hub for domestic, European and intercontinental air traffic in the years afterwards. By 2019, it was the continent’s eighth-largest airport, handling 43.35 million passengers that year. By 2023, it was Europe’s ninth busiest airport, handling over 40.5 million passengers that year.
The 15-kilometre Via Olimpica was constructed to connect the two main sports sites used at the Olympic Games: the Foro Italico, where the Stadio Olimpico is located, and the Universal Exhibition of Rome (EUR) complex. The road was extended in later years to form part of an inner ring road serving a large section of the city. Meanwhile, the city’s hotels and guest houses were rebuilt and refurbished to meet the demand generated by the Olympic Games and to improve the quantity and quality of accommodation facilities in the long term. Rome has continued to add to its hotel stock since then and is now home to around 1,000 hotels in all.
Further urban development came in the shape of a new municipal water supply system, better street lighting, the illumination of monuments, aesthetic improvements and the construction of an avant-garde Olympic Village in the north of the city. A showcase project offering 1,800 apartments, the Village became a residential area after the Olympic Games and has undergone regeneration in recent years, following the opening of several new cultural venues nearby.
Living Legacy
The Olympic Games are all about their legacies. The benefits that the Games create – from increased sports participation and educational programmes to a boosted economy and an improved urban environment – are numerous.