After seven years of careful excavation and restoration, tourists can now explore the 2,800-year-old remains of the Circus Maximus, once the largest and most impressive monument of ancient Rome.

Visitors will be able to climb the worn marble steps which funneled a quarter of a million Roman noblemen, proconsuls and plebeians into the giant stadium, which hosted chariot races, public executions and imperial triumphs.

Starting from Thursday, they can wander through the brick-built remains of the shops, tavernas, and brothels that were built into the ground level of the monumental stadium, beneath the tiers of seating.

There were even betting shops, where Romans placed wagers on the kind of chariot races memorably portrayed in the 1959 Hollywood blockbuster Ben Hur. Most of the stadium that ringed the Circus Maximus was obliterated by fires and the plundering of its building materials, but a corner has survived and provides a fascinating snapshot of Roman life.

Passageways and corridors, complete with latrines supplied with running water from a nearby aqueduct, provided access to the ancient world’s biggest entertainment complex.