Coloseum Rome - With the Roman Empire plundering the riches of the known
world in its time, the Coloseum Rome was the venue where the imperial rulers
kept
the
masses distracted and entertained with a diet of “bread and circuses”.
With shows daily, seating up to 55,000 bloodthirsty Romans at a time,
the Coloseum Rome theatre provided tiered seating according to class.
The higher
your seat - the lower class you held. Work on the Coloseum started in
AD72, and was completed in AD80 – celebrated by a three month programme
of entertainment.
 |
Metro Linea B, Station Colosseo.
Buses C3, 60, 75, 117. Open from 9:00am to sunset, Adult
9 eur to enter. Is included in a guided walking tour of The
Forum, Trevi Fountain, Pantheon and more, lasting approx 3 hours.
Click here to See
The Coloseum Rome in our "Rome on Foot" Guided Tour.
|
Looking at the Coloseum Rome today, you can still imagine the carnage
that took place here, on a regular basis, for over a thousand years. Part
of the central stage has been re-constructed, but with the labyrinth of
passages below still remaining visible. These passages allowed participants
to “appear” in various places during battle – providing
an element of surprise for the combatants, and enhancing the entertainment
for the crowds.
The whole arena could also be flooded, allowing the staging of sea battles
to add further variety.
|
The famous Coloseum is probably one
of the most photographed of all the ancient Rome attractions, and
is a MUST for your special trip to the Eternal
City.
Open 9:00am to sunset daily.
|
Here, Christians fought lions, Gladiators fought each other, and wounded
contestants lived or died at the whim of the Emperors. Gladiators were
often prisoners of war or slaves, but highly (and expensively) trained
to hone their combat skills and prolong the entertainment.
The sacrifice of a highly skilled Gladiator was seen as a “big” gesture
on the part of the Emperor, which always sent the crowd home happy. Sadly,
today, you need to beware of unlicensed “Gladiators” charging
you a huge fee for a photo including them!
When you decide to leave The Coloseum, Rome then offers you a great selection
of cafes and restaurants nearby where you can sit in the shadows and enjoy
the magnificence of this great building. Despite being damaged by years
of theft and neglect this is still a wonderful sight. Head for the upper
exit level, and then the bus terminal that comes clearly into view as you
leave. Here you can watch roman life passing by, whilst sipping a cold
beer or a superb cappuccino.
| Recent works at
the Rome Coloseum have installed a wooden structure across the "center
stage" are, so that visitors can get a Gladiators eye view of the
stadium. Very impressive, and one of our top tips for your visit
to Rome. |
|
We’re sharing all our tips for getting the best from these amazing
places in the pages of Lets-Travel-Rome.com, so make sure you look around
this part of the site right now!
Use the menu on left hand side to navigate through the
Rome Attractions section of my site.
