You must see the Coloseum, Rome, Italy
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The Coloseum of Rome amazing! It is the largest amphitheater ever built in the Roman Empire; its construction took 8 years, from 72AD to 80AD, from Emperor Vespasian to Emperor Titus. It hosted some of the grandest festivals of the ancient world. The ‘noble audience’ enjoyed the gladiator fights, the feeding of lions and tigers with Christians and other philanthropic staff until 523 – when the last fight with animals was recorded.
According to the chronicles, the inauguration of the Coloseum was marked by a hundred-day free game. More than 9000 animals and nobody knows how many men were murdered in the arena in the time of the ‘games’. I always wondered, why and when one part of the building fell. Well it’s the Southern side and it was damaged by a great earthquake in the middle of the 9th century.
Also, during the late Middle Ages a lot from the material of the Coloseum was used for other buildings that were in construction at that time. Even Saint Peter’s Basilica has got some pieces of it built in, so attractions in Rome are almost literally linked. ;)
Coloseum is amazing. Much larger than we imagined, its arches of 4 levels totally dominate the center of Rome. It’s even more amazing from the inside as we stood in the arena and looked around, we could almost see the 50,000 spectators shouting at us. It was actually a little creepy as well, knowing about the unimaginable massacres that took place right where we were standing.
There are always long lines for tickets in front of the Coloseum, but if you just walk down a little bit, to the Palatine Hills, you can buy the same ticket (the ticket includes the Coloseum, the Palatine Hills and the Forum) immediately, no queues there. You can also join a tour for a couple of extra Euros and get a lot of great, professional information about the history of the building.
1. Aug 25, 2004 You must see the Coloseum (Rome) (

2. Aug 28, 2005 St. Peter Basilica in Rome is a must see (Rome)
3. Aug 29, 2005 Favorite attraction in Rome (Rome)
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