The amphitheatre of ancient Venafrum (Venafro), also known as the Verlascio or Verlasce following the colloquialisation of Perielasium (circular space), a term from late antiquity, was built just outside the city in the 1st century C.E.
The arena, listed as one of the small-medium arenas of Imperial Rome, was an important gathering point for the town’s residents and a testament to the wealth of its noble classes who financed the entertainment. After a demographic drop in the 1st century B.C.E., the urban centre returned to its ancient splendour under the Emperor Augustus. As the Colonia Augusta Iulia Venafrum, the city continued to grow. The amphitheatre was built and the first gladiator fight (munus gladiatorio) staged, these continued until the 3rd century C.E. at least.
The abandonment of the building, shorn of its decorations and fallen into disuse during the Middle Ages, came to an end in the 17th century when rural shacks were established on the arena’s grounds. This kind of reuse meant that the ancient arena conserved its shape.
