Colosseum, Rome

I don't recommend taking photos with the guys dressed as Roman gladiators outside the colleseum. The gladiators hawking photos are rude. One "gladiator" tried to get 10 euro out of me for taking a photo with MY camera. I told him I'd give him 2 euro, more than the 1 euro I thought he deserved, and he started making rude comments about Americans; in front of children none the less. Stay away!! They are worse than the Romany pick pockets that used to be ubiquitous in Rome (no longer due to an unfortunate "clean up"). The colleseum itself is not to be missed.

The Colisseum is a place I have wanted to see since I learned about it in elementary school. Who knew it'd be a dream come true? My husband and I visited in early December 2009. At this time, it was chilly but the amount of tourists was miniscule which made the cold worth it. We hopped on the bus and took in all the sights around us. I looked up and saw the Colisseum in the distance and it took my breath away. We immediately got off the bus (don't know why we didn't ride all the way there!) and walked toward it. It amazed me seeing this ancient structure surrounded by busy roads, people rushing around and all the noise. It seemed so out of place, but was still beautiful. Along the route we saw ancient ruins that somehow survived the building of roads and modern buildings. It makes you wonder why these fallen columns and stones weren't removed to put in a new restaurant or apartment building. We arrived too late to get inside the Colisseum, but walked all around it taking pictures. There were vendors there selling little trinkets and souvenirs and snacks, but they were easy to ignore. It was also easy to avoid the "gladiators" who roamed around the grounds. We planned to visit again the following day before our departure from Rome, but it was raining rather hard so we decided not to. Just another reason to plan a trip back!

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The Colosseum to Rome is what the Pyramids of Giza are to Cairo. A magnificent monument and a distinguishing symbol of this eternal city since its construction in 1st century AD. Although still large and impressive today, the Colosseum has been reduced significantly over time. Much of the stones and marble was used as building material for other later edifices, particularly the Vatican. A tour of this marvel is a must for any first time visitor to Rome.

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The ancient Romans had real sports, not the boring stuff that's on TV today. They had real gladiators fighting each other, as well as wild beasts. On some occasions, they even flooded the Colosseum and held naval battles. Admission was free for all citizens of Rome. With so many exits, the entire crowd could enter or leave in a few minutes.

After the fall of Rome, the Church began re-using stones from this great edifice, but the Pope put a stop to it. With the original floor gone, one can see the subterranean chambers where Roman gladiators would suit up before and recover after a match. There is also a memorial plaque to Christian martyrs who were killed in the games, although there's no record of them dying here.

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A true icon of the city, the Colosseum is also Rome's biggest attraction in both size and stature - despite being the venue for ancient display of brutality and violence. It is the city's most enduring symbol with pictures of the lighted Colosseum posted on almost every tourism brochure and airline adverts for their flights to Rome.

Be sure to visit the Colosseum not only during daytime but also at night. The lighted columns multiplied hundreds of times create wonderful patterns that every photographer would be happy about such as the pictures in this travelogue.

The Roman Coliseum is an elliptical amphitheatre in the center of the city of Rome, Italy, the largest ever built in the Roman Empire. It is one of the greatest works of Roman architecture and Roman engineering. It is east of the Roman Forum, its construction started between 70 and 72 AD under the emperor Vespasian and was completed in 80 AD under Titus.

The Colosseum is capable of seating 50,000 spectators, andwas used for gladiatorial contests and public spectacles. As well as the gladiatorial games, other public spectacles were held there, such as mock sea battles, animal hunts, executions, re-enactments of famous battles, and dramas based on Classical mythology. The building ceased to be used for entertainment in the early medieval era. It was later reused for such purposes as housing, workshops, quarters for a religious order, a fortress, a quarry, and a Christian shrine.

It has been estimated that about 500,000 people and over a million wild animals died in the Colosseum games. We were impressed by the tourists posing with people wearing gladiator costumes. Tourists were lined up for hours; we found a private company and overpaid them to get inside this massive structure.

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The ancient Roman amphitheater, the Coliseum, was built in 72AD by Vespasian and completed in 8 years by Jewish prisoners. During the glorious days of the Imperial Roman Empire, it was the venue for bloody gladiator fights and wild wrestling with lions to satisfy the blood-thirsty Romans. In its heydays, it could seat 80,000 people. The Coliseum is elliptical in shape, 187m at its longest end and 155 m at its shortest. The height of the external ring reaches 50m from ground level. Around the exterior run three orders of arches, respectively adorned with Doric, Ionian and Corinthian columns and a fourth floor with Corinthian pilasters.

Ok the Colosseum is one of the most recognized buildings in the entire world, but to get in a long and time consuming process !!!! spent 2 hrs to get in and we were there at 8:00 a.m. Bring comfortable shoes !!!!! but again a must do !!!!! The metro stops literally in front of it so it's easy to get there.