QYPE*

More impressive than I imagined. The sheer size of the coliseum is only one awe-striking feature of the historic site. If you spring for the guided tour or even just the audio guide which was something like 10€ then you’ll hear about the massive amount of white marble that was used all around the first and second tiers of seating and reserved for the senators and wealthy families that attended the games and sporting events that took place here over the centuries before the fall of the empire. Apparently a large amount of the marble was taken out of the coliseum in the centuries after the ‘fall’ and was used in other buildings around the city, most notably in St. Peter’s Basilica. (This little nugget came from a tour guide I was eavesdropping on!)

I spent a couple of hours at the Colosseo, long after the audio guide had ended and a couple groups had come and gone. It is an amazing place to wander about and take pictures of and I tend to pretend that I’m a good photographer so I got my jollies taking something like a hundred pics before realizing it was near closing time. If you’re travelling to Rome in the summer heat I’d suggest going either early in the morning or after 4pm. I did the latter, in June, and it was still blazing hot. So remember to walk with water kids!