The hotel breakfast cafe downstairs this morning was packed and very uncomfortable. The room only seats 30 guests and we had to share a small table with German sisters in their 60’s. They seemed lovely as they wrote postcards back to family. It was very cosy indeed. The hotel served a typical European breakfast of cereal, cheese, fruit, and yummy pastries. Nutella croissants are devilishly good and it still seems wrong for breakfast. Anyhow we’re ready for another full day.
We’ve done some research about visiting the Roman sights and today we’re set to see the Colosseum and surrounding area.
Colosseum and Roman Forum and Palatine Hill Museum
We caught the train then walked to the Colosseum. It was an incredible view and we couldn’t believe how big the structure was and the detail in the columns.
There are three ticket lines at the lower floor entrance and we bypassed the ‘General Ticket Box’ and the ‘Tour Guides Box’ to the ‘Audio Guide Box’ where we were given a map and saved ourselves 45 minutes of waiting and the freedom to explore the sites on our own. This was such a good tip we read about because we had a better understanding of the history without being annoyed by an actual guide or being in a tour group and the price was only a few euro more.
We headed into the lower floor and learnt about the history of The Colosseum, originally known as Flavian Ampitheater.
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| Ground floor from inside the Colosseum |
Building of the Colosseum began in 72 AD and was completed in 80 AD under Titus who inaugurated the Colosseum by holding 100 consecutive days of solemn festivities which saw the slaughter of 5,000 beasts. The Colosseum was used for gladiatorial contests and public spectacles like animal hunts, executions, re-enactments of famous battles and classical mythology. In the Middle Ages it became a fortress, then a quarry for materials until the mid 18th century until Pope Benedict XIV consecrated it to the Passion of Christ. There are still crosses erect to this day.
The Colosseum measures 188 by 156 metres and is capable of seating between 40,000 and 73,000. The tiered seats were arranged according to rank: the lower marble seats were reserved for patricians, and the highest seats were made of wood for the plebs. Much of the building has been ruined from earthquakes and stone-robbers so it’s impractical for large events be held there, besides it would be really uncomfortable for us to sit on wood seats for an entire concert.
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| First floor from inside the Colosseum |
Our audio guide continued as we moved around the theatre to the upper floor for a better view of the arena. The amphitheatre is 86 by 54 metres covered by wooden flooring over an underground structure of 15 corridors, many cells and passageways. There are storerooms for weapons, stage equipment, a hospital, a morgue, and barracks for the sailors within these cells. The floorboards also had trapdoors so animals could enter the arena via hoists.
We were fascinated by the intricate structure of the Colosseum both inside and out and admired the museum of warriors of the past then headed back outside. We had a homemade lunch sitting on the far wall opposite the exit to admire the detail of the building and feed the pigeons then headed on to see the Arch of Constantine situated between the Colosseum and the Palantine Hill.
The Arch of Constantine
The structure was built from parts of other significant monuments of historical nature to commemorate Constantine’s victory of Maxentius. The centre atrium, is the newest arch of the three and was built of new materials to depict scenes from the life of Constentine in the 4th century AD.
Palantine Hill
We walked past the beautiful Church of Santi Luca e Marina to the entrance of the Palantine Hill which was included in the Colosseum ticket price. We decided not to have the audio guide this time as it would have taken longer. The village has a rich history of being a cemetery in the 9th century BC then having its main buildings and temples rebuilt when Rome became capital of the Mediterranean, then the new Imperial Forum reconstructed the village to reflect the splendour and prestige of the dynasty which was upheld throughout the Imperial Age. The last Roman monument was erected in 608 AD in honour of the Emperor Phocas then the area was slowly buried except some temples that were converted into Christian churches until excavation in the 18th century.
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| Temple of Antoninus and Faustina 141 AD Forum marks the death and deification of Faustina, wife of Antoninus Pius. |
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| Temple walls with The Palatine in the background |
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| The Palatine was used for religious ceremonies, then later official residence of Emperors and it became the first botanical gardens in the world. |
We walked through the Farnese Garden and found a fantastic view of the Colosseum then continued to the exit at the Arch of Titus that was decorated with heroic scenes in battle.
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| Arch of Titus |
We walked back past the Colosseum for one final look on the way to the train station. That was a long day, but an incredible experience understanding more Roman history.
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