Colosseo (Colosseum)
So emblematic of Rome, it's said that when the Colosseum falls, so shall Rome. Fortunately an end was put to the Renaissance looting of its travertine façade—seemingly at just the right moment for achieving a picturesque broken profile. The monumental brick vaulted building is intensely Roman in design, but covered with a Greek veneer of different capital orders on its three tiers of arcades. The many arches formed the entrances to the arena, each numbered so that the 50,000 spectators could easily find their seats—considered a marvel of the time.In AD 80, when Titus dedicated the Colosseum, he sponsored 100 days of games in which 9,000 animals were killed—leopards, lions, bears, and a rhinoceros, though there is no historical evidence that any Christians were martyred then or later in the gladiatorial contests. The interior today exposes the underground passages where animal cages and machinery were kept. Originally there was a wooden floor covered with sand ("arena") to soak up the blood.
Admission to the arena is free, but there's a fee to climb to second tier (from west entrance).
Address:
Piazzale del Colosseo, via dei Fori Imperiali
Rome
Italy
Telephone: +39 (6) 700-4261