Colosseum, the Ultimate Arena, Rome, Italy

And here I am back to The Eternal City, Rome, my absolute favorite European capital. Wherever you go in the city it's difficult to make more than a few hundred meters without arriving at some fabulous monument. From the Roman period to the Renaissance, from the Middle Ages to the XXI century, the city is home to several structures of incalculable architectonic and artistic value.


Also in favor of Rome's tourism is the fact that, although the city's cost of life is far from being the cheapest in the old Continent, it isn't that hard to find good places to stay at reasonable prices. Just one tip, if you wish to find the best deals on hotels don't limit your search to travel agencies, search the internet too. Also keep in mind that being flexible on the dates of departure and arrival (checking in/out on weekdays) is always a plus when searching for good rates and discounts :)


Back to the city itself allow me to take you on a tour to the fabulous Roman Colosseum. The enormous circular stone structure built around the year 70 a.C. is almost 50 meters high and, although damaged by earthquakes and plundered several times over the years, it still maintains it's inner circle almost intact and a good part of it's outer walls. Along with the Roman Forum, the Colosseum ruins are still today one of the major symbols of the old Roman Empire and, of course, the most famous landmark of Rome.


Inside the building one can still go upstairs and see what's left of the old spectators stands and access corridors and stairways. Bellow the ground, the catacombs and training complexes where the Gladiators stayed before the fights are also worthy of a look. On the ground floor, in order to help recreate the original scenario, part of the arena in front of what used to be the Imperial stand was reconstructed. To get an idea of the atmosphere of the Colosseum just imagine that in it's days, above the arena, it had a capacity of 50.000 seated spectators.


The almost unbelievable size of the Colosseum is very well shown in this last photo. Both the buildings in background and the people in the streets nearby seem amazingly small don't they? Needless to say, Rome's most important must visit spot :)

Last but not least, a big thanks to OpenGalleries.org for yet another set of beautiful photos from Rome.