The Rome city race course, Le Capannelle, is to become a public park. The area which adjoins the Rome ring road (Gran Raccordo Anulare) and the Via Appia is 140 hectares of unspoilt countryside which until now has been used almost exclusively for horse racing.

The city authorities have announced that they will invest 5.5 million to make the area available to the public for more sports. There will be golf and archery, a childrens play area, an equestrian museum and a restaurant. The horse racing will continue and there will new lighting for the track which will make it possible to have racing late afternoon in winter and in the evenings in summer.

There will also be more frequent stops at Le Capannelle station on the Rome-Cassino railway line to make the new park more accessible to the public.