Circuito Cittadino dell'EUR
Circuito Cittadino dell'EUR at a glance
- Location
- Rome, Lazio
- Type
- historic circuit (defunct)
- Length
- 3.385 km (2.103 mi)
- Turns
- 19
- Direction
- clockwise
- Surface
- asphalt (public roads)
- Opened
- 2018
- Owner
- Roma Capitale (public roads; race organised by Formula E Operations)
Track map and layout
The Circuito Cittadino dell'EUR ran on closed public roads through Rome's EUR district, the planned mid-20th-century business quarter built for the cancelled 1942 World's Fair, starting on Via Cristoforo Colombo and finishing near the Marconi Obelisk. The original 2018-2019 layout was 2.849 km with 21 tight, low-speed turns threading between EUR's monumental rationalist architecture, including the Palazzo dei Congressi and the Rome Convention Center; a 2021 redesign lengthened the lap to 3.385 km and reduced it to 19 corners by adding longer, faster straights intended to improve overtaking. Like all Formula E street circuits it was temporary, built up from barriers and grandstands before each race weekend and dismantled afterwards, leaving no permanent trace on the roads themselves.
Configurations
| Layout | Length | Used for |
|---|---|---|
| 2021-2023 layout | 3.38 km | 3.385 km, 19 turns, redesigned for faster straights and more overtaking |
| 2018-2019 layout | 2.85 km | 2.849 km, 21 turns, the original configuration |
Events and race weekends
The circuit hosted the Formula E Rome ePrix in 2018, 2019, 2021, 2022 and 2023 (the 2020 race was cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic), and supported the Jaguar I-Pace eTrophy one-make series in 2019. No races have been held on the circuit since Formula E dropped Rome from its calendar after the 2023 event, and none are planned.
Getting there and parking
The former circuit sits in Rome's EUR district, about 10 km south of the historic centre, well served by the city's public transport when the roads are not closed for racing. Rome's two airports, Fiumicino and Ciampino, are both within a reasonable drive or rail-and-metro combination, and the EUR district itself is connected to central Rome by Metro Line B, making it one of the most transit-accessible former race venues in Europe.
- Rome Fiumicino Airport (FCO) · about 25 min drive
- Rome Ciampino Airport (CIA) · about 20 min drive
Parking
No race-specific parking exists today; the area uses normal Rome street parking and is well served by Metro Line B (EUR Fermi and EUR Palasport stations).
Take Metro Line B to EUR Fermi or EUR Palasport to reach the former circuit area; a rental car is unnecessary given Rome's metro and rail links from both airports.
Hotels and camping near Circuito Cittadino dell'EUR
Rome offers essentially unlimited accommodation citywide, and the EUR district itself, a planned business quarter with wide boulevards and modernist landmarks, has a growing number of business hotels convenient to the former circuit. Most visitors interested in the site would naturally combine it with a stay in central Rome, given the short metro ride between the two.
Where to look
Central Rome offers the widest range of hotels and attractions, a short Metro Line B ride from EUR; the EUR district itself has a smaller cluster of business-oriented hotels closer to the former circuit.
Track days, driving experiences and lap records
There is no organised track-day or public driving access to the former circuit; it was always a temporary street circuit built on public roads that carry normal Rome traffic outside race weekends, and no race events have used the layout since 2023. Visitors can drive or walk the public streets that once formed the lap as part of ordinary city traffic, but no timed or competitive lapping is possible.
Lap records
| Category | Time | Driver | Car | Year |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Formula E (2021-2023 layout) | 1:40.264 | Jean-Éric Vergne | DS Techeetah Formula E | 2023 |
| Formula E (2018-2019 layout) | 1:31.016 | Jean-Éric Vergne | DS Techeetah Formula E | 2019 |
Spectator guide
There is no spectator event to plan for today, since the Circuito Cittadino dell'EUR has not hosted a race since 2023 and Formula E has no plans to return to Rome. During its active years, temporary grandstands lined the EUR district's wide boulevards, giving views across the long straights and the Palazzo dei Congressi backdrop that made Rome one of Formula E's more photogenic street rounds.
Seating
No permanent seating remains; temporary grandstands were erected and removed for each race weekend during 2018-2023.
Best places to watch
The area around the Marconi Obelisk and Via Cristoforo Colombo, where the long straights and the Palazzo dei Congressi provided the circuit's signature backdrop, remains the most recognisable stretch of the former route.
Weather
- April (typical ePrix month): mild, highs typically 18-22°C
History of Circuito Cittadino dell'EUR
A street circuit for Rome's rationalist quarter
The Circuito Cittadino dell'EUR was built on the wide public roads of Rome's EUR district, the planned business and exhibition quarter begun under Benito Mussolini for a 1942 World's Fair that was cancelled by the outbreak of the Second World War. EUR's broad boulevards and monumental rationalist architecture, including the Palazzo dei Congressi, had twice been floated as the site for a Formula One Grand Prix, in 1985 and again in 2009, but neither project came to fruition. The circuit finally hosted a top-level championship when Formula E, the all-electric single-seater series, added Rome to its calendar for the first Rome ePrix on 14 April 2018.
Five seasons on the streets of EUR
The original 2.849 km, 21-turn layout ran from 2018 to 2019, before the COVID-19 pandemic forced cancellation of the 2020 race. Formula E returned in 2021 with a redesigned 3.385 km, 19-turn layout intended to open up overtaking with longer straights, and the circuit hosted the Rome ePrix again in 2022 and 2023, alongside a round of the Jaguar I-Pace eTrophy support series in 2019. The event became a fixture of the Formula E calendar and one of its most visually striking rounds, with the championship's electric single-seaters racing past EUR's distinctive 1930s and 1940s architecture.
Safety concerns end Rome's Formula E era
The 2023 Rome ePrix was marred by a multi-car pile-up after Sam Bird lost control of his Jaguar on one of the circuit's faster turns, collecting seven other cars; all drivers escaped injury, but the incident exposed how the narrow, tightly bounded street circuit struggled to contain the more powerful Gen3-generation Formula E cars introduced that season. Formula E dropped Rome from its 2024 calendar, citing the layout's unsuitability for the faster cars, though the roughly €8 million annual cost of staging a street race in EUR compared with a fraction of that on a permanent circuit was also widely reported as a factor. The Misano World Circuit replaced Rome on the calendar from 2024, and as of 2026 no return to the EUR circuit has been announced, leaving the venue a five-season chapter in Formula E's history rather than a permanent fixture.
Frequently asked questions
Can you still watch racing at the Circuito Cittadino dell'EUR?+
No. Formula E dropped Rome from its calendar after the 2023 Rome ePrix and no races have been held on the circuit since; there are no current plans for it to return.
Why did Formula E stop racing in Rome?+
Formula E cited the circuit's narrow, tightly bounded layout as unsuitable for the faster, more powerful Gen3 cars introduced in 2023, after a multi-car crash at that year's race; the high cost of staging a street race in EUR compared with a permanent circuit was also widely reported as a factor.
How long was the Rome ePrix circuit?+
The final 2021-2023 layout was 3.385 km (2.103 miles) with 19 turns; the original 2018-2019 layout was 2.849 km (1.770 miles) with 21 turns.
Where was the Rome ePrix held?+
On closed public roads through Rome's EUR district, a planned business and exhibition quarter about 10 km south of central Rome, starting on Via Cristoforo Colombo and finishing near the Marconi Obelisk.
Can you still see the former circuit route?+
Yes. The roads that formed the lap are ordinary public streets in the EUR district, freely accessible to drivers, cyclists and pedestrians, though no timed or competitive driving is possible.
Other tracks nearby
- Autodromo Vallelunga Piero Taruffi · 37 km · road course
- Autodromo dell'Umbria Mario Umberto Borzacchini · 145 km · road course
- Circuito di Pescara · 156 km · historic circuit (defunct)
- Misano World Circuit Marco Simoncelli · 237 km · road course
- Mugello Circuit · 257 km · road course
- Autodromo Internazionale Enzo e Dino Ferrari · 285 km · road course
Facts checked against 3 sources including the official circuit website. Last reviewed 2026-09-11.