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 | Rome Colosseum Reviews | Tips 1 - 10 of 622 |  |
 | |  |  | Colosseum: Avoiding the Long Lines at the Coliseum | Tip Rating:   |  |  | |  |
Il Colosseo! Everything glorious, and many things despicable, about the Roman culture of 2000 years ago can be found in its history. What an astounding pummeling of feelings hit me the first time I saw it.
But first, how to avoid the lines.
1. Buy your ticket at the Palatine Hill entrance. A ticket allows you entrance to both the Palatine Hill and the Colosseum. The entrance to the Palatine is only about 200 meters southwest of the Coliseum. Just follow the path, around the Arch of Constantine, buy your ticket there. Then walk back, past the line at the entrance (the line should form on the right, but often snakes over to the left). Walk up to the turnstiles, place your ticket in the slot, and voila, you're in!
2. There are actually 2 lines at the Coliseum - one for tickets, one for tickets plus audio guide (an extra 4 euros). The audio guide line is always much shorter.
3. Buy the Rome Archeologia Card which costs 20 euros and will gain you entrance to a number of archeological sites including the Coliseum, Palatine Hill, Baths of Caracalla, the National Museum of Rome, etc. You can buy this ticket at any of these sites all of which have a shorter line (most likely, no line) than the Coliseum, then just bypass the line as above. It's valid for 7 days.
4. Make a reservation by phone: 39 06 3996 7700. But I would wait to see what the weather is like. There is a special ticket window to pick up your reserved ticket, so again, no waiting in line.
5. Make a reservation on the internet. (read the fine print): http://www.pierreci.it/do/show/list/20
6. Take a commercial tour. There are a some cheesy "guides" hawking tours outside the Coliseum. Better to go with a reputable company. Leave a Comment Address: You CANNOT miss it!Phone: 39 06 3996 7700 reservationsDirections: Southeast end of the Roman Forum - next to Via dei Fori ImperialiWebsite: http://www.pierreci.it/do/show/list/20 for reservations
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| | | | Colosseum: COLISEUM - COLOSSEO - COLLOSEUM | Tip Rating: | | | | |
%The Rome Pass gets you into 2 Museums, including the Coliseum if you choose, without waiting in lines + 3 days free transportation - or, you can pay a Coliseum tour guide double the 11€ entrance price just for the Coliseum (more than the 18 € cost of the Rome Pass) and hear its history which is nice also - I took the Rome Pass and bought a book with a neat overlay depicting the ancient history. It opens at 8:30 a.m. - closing time varies. Official website below.
It's true name is the "Anfiteatrum Flavium" (Flavian Amphitheater). However you choose to spell it, most people find it, rush to see it - this ancient Roman amphitheatre is, most often, the first destination for visitors. And, if you happen to be one of the few who choose not to visit Rome's icon, you would still be unable to avoid the sight of it. It is immense and has been called "Colosseo" due to its colossal proportions and proximity to the Colossus of Nero.
The numbers: occupies 3,357 square meters - external ellipse 188 x 156 meters - 49 meters tall. Elliptical in shape: 187 meters at the long end and 155 meters at the short end.
The material: Great variety - Travertine from the Tivoli area - Tufa, a soft volcanic rock - Concrete that you now see because the original marble facade was stripped - Bricks for the non-structural walls and screens - Marble for the facade, which was subsequently harvested for the construction of other Rome monuments and Basilicas.
The history: A bloody history - built by Jewish prisoners - the primary site of carnage (both human and animal) through Roman gladiator "games." Construction began by Vespasian in 72 A.D. - completed in 80 A.D. by his son, Titus.
Ancient Romans cultivated the war-like spirit here that drove them to conquer the world in their era. Their bloody games ended at the beginning of the 5th Century when the monk, Telemachus, entered the arena to put himself between gladiators. He was martyred there but the games did come to an end. Address: Piazza del ColosseoPhone: 06 700 4261Website: http://www.pierreci.it/do/show/content/0000010052
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| | | | Colosseum: Just a little more info | Tip Rating: | | | | |
By this point, everyone knows the colosseum. Here are a few things you might not know.The colosseum is at the base of the forum. If you start at the capitoline hill and continue on through the forum you will end up at the colosseum. As you come toward the end of the forum, there is a path that goes off to the right, up hill. The palatine hill. Take this path to the ticket office and buy your combo ticket to the palatine hill/colosseum. Around 12 euros. Once you have your ticket you can bypass the line. These are folks waiting to buy tickets. Approaching the colosseum you will see several things. Vending trucks, people dressed as gladiators, sovenier carts and tour touts. If you want to take a tour, approach a tour tout. They are cheap and last about an hour. You don't have to leave the colosseum when the tour is finished, your ticket lets you stay as long as you like. Ignore the gladiators , who charge 5 euros for the privalage of taking their picture (with your camera). As for the vending trucks, they are over priced. They will sell you a soda for 3 euros. That is ONE CAN of coke, 3 EUROS!!!!! Just avoid them. Last is the souvenier carts, one by the entrance, one by the exit. These souveniers are very overpriced, but you can bargain with them. Once you get past the line to get into the colosseum, continue to the end of the main corridor you will see an elevator. Take this to the top for great views. Spend as much time as you like inside. While you're inside, don't forget to look outside. When you decide to leave you will go out the right hand side of the colosseum (if your back is to the forum). If you need to use the restroom, there is one if you head to the left. So just turn left and continue toward the "back" of the colosseum. There is a small building next to the wall, the restroom. It is never crowded and always clean.
Hope this helps give that little bit of extra info you won't find in guidebooks. Leave a Comment Address: colosseumDirections: base of the forum, you cant miss it.
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| | | | Colosseum: The Colosseum | Tip Rating: | | | | |
The Colosseum is one of the most famous building in the world and rates high on my list of the most important archeological monuments that I have ever visited. The Colosseum was begun in A.D. 72 when it was originally know as the Flavian Amphitheatre. The Colosseum is known as such for it was built by the three Flavian emperors, Vespasian, Titus and Domitian.
When completed the Colosseum must have been a stunning building. It's exterior was highly decorative with, Iconic, Doric and Corinthian columns. The interior seated 60,000 people. The Colosseum could also be canopied to cover the audience on rainy days or from the hot summer sun. The seats, rows and sections were numbered much like they are today in modern stadiums.
The sport that the Colosseum played host to must have been quite exciting for it was here that the gladiators fought. The battles between these gladiators were quite elaborate. Often teams of them would fight each other resulting in a gory bloodbath. The floor of the Colosseum could actually be flooded so that small naval vessels could go to war against each other.
The Colosseum fell into disuse when Rome became Christianized in the 4th century A.D. The walls of the Colosseum began to fall apart, the result of both earthquake, neglect and the need for stones to build the walls that surround Rome. You now can see beneath the wooden floor of the Colosseum where today there is nothing more than a maze of walls and passages.
The Colosseum is a easy place to visit for people of all ages regardless of health. There are elevators that can take you up to upper tiers of the building in case the stairs are too difficult. There is also an audio guide that can be rented for 3.75 Euros. There are also guided tours in English throughout the day. It costs 6.50 Euros to visit the Colosseum. The hours of admission to the Coloseeum is staggered throughout the year but during the height of tourist season, it is open from 9am to 7pm Leave a Comment Phone: 06-700-4261Directions: Piazzale del Colosseo, Via dei Fori Imperiali. It is virtually across the street from the Roman Forum
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| | | | Colosseum: Colosseum (sorry but I hate that other spelling) | Tip Rating: | | | | |
The proper name for this building is the Flavian Amphitheatre, named after the emperors of the Flavian dynasty who built it. It was completed in just eight years, from 72 to 80 A.D., built largely by Jews who had been captured and brought back to Rome as slaves after the sack of Jerusalem in 70 A.D. The name 'Colosseum' originally referred to the colossal 40-metre statue of Nero that stood just outside the amphitheatre. In fact the area on which the amphitheatre was built had previously been a lake that was part of the opulent grounds of the Domus Aurea (Golden House), the lavish palace that Nero had built for himself. After the death of the unpopular Nero, the Flavian emperor Vespasian wanted to give this land back to the people by building a place for them to be entertained. His sons Titus and Domitian later completed the building.
Holding somewhere between 50,000 and 80,000 spectators, it was of course used for gladiatorial combat, though there were other forms of entertainment leading up to the main show, such as dwarves fighting each other and public executions. A portion of the floor has been recreated, which you can walk out on to look down at the hypogeum (literally meaning "underground") below. This is a maze of tunnels where animals were held in cages before they were released through trap doors in the floor to jump out and attack the gladiators.
Entrance is ten euro and includes both the Colosseum and the Palatine Hill. To avoid the queue at the Colosseum, buy your tickets at the Palatine Hill, then bypass the queue and walk straight up to the turnstyles.
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| | | | Colosseum: Flavian Amphitheatre: the Colosseum | Tip Rating: | | | | |
At the end of the Via dei Fori Imperiali, you will find The Colosseum, the symbol of the city of Rome. It's real name is Flavian Amphitheatre;however, it's always called the Colosseum.
On my first visit to Rome, I was very excited about seeing the Colosseum. As we walked closer to its location, and we actually saw it, I was somewhat disappointed. It was not nearly as large as I had imagined. The tourist gimmicks bothered me with such things as the fake guards dressed in period costume charging a good deal of money to have a picture taken with them and the hawkers trying to sell their tacky trinkets.
But then, I shook myself and realized that this might be my only time to view such an historical place. Once I focused on the positive, I discovered fascinating details.
I discovered that the Ludi Circenses were the favorite shows of the Romans (games that were invented in the last days of the Republic to develop a war-like spirit which had made them the conquerors of the world.)
Thus, the professional gladiators came into being, and they were trained to fight to the death. As time moved on, the kinds of animals the gladiators had to fight became more and more wild. It is said that "9000 wild animals were killed during the hundred days of festivity to celebrate the dedication of the Colosseum."
The area was also used to stage naval battles. In order to accomplish this, they would flood the arena!
Constantine and his successors did try to stop the gladiatorial fights but to no avail. The Romans would not give up their favorite form of entertainment. They changed the fights to an animal hunt about the 6th century.
I can just imagine how marvelous this amphitheatre was in its glory days. We are all lucky that at least some of this historical structure has endured and is still the pride of Rome and a must see for visitors to marvel at. Leave a Comment Directions: At the end of the Via dei Fori Imperiali
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| | | | Colosseum: More about Coliseum | Tip Rating: | | | | |
First time I went to the arena I was just standing outside it, totally perplex of it’s beauty. It’s really hard to believe that so many people have been cruelty killed inside there. Every stone in the building seems to have been put there for a special reason, and it totally took my breath away to see the monument.
The feeling didn’t get less good when I returned on the night, only to find Coliseum up-lighted by hundreds of lamps. An amazing sight!
Unfortunately the chock made me forget to go inside it too, so I missed the next amazing view. It’s actually almost even more breathtaking from the inside.
So I had to make the trip again, and the next time in Rome I made sure to go inside. Not sure how much I paid, but it was quite cheap, around 7-8 euro if I’m not mistaken. Didn’t include a guided tour thought, since that would have cost around 15 euro instead. And I would have had to wait too, which I wasn’t interested in.
It’s possible to walk around the whole arena inside, as seen on the photos in the travelogue. Just walk around carefully, so that you don’t damage the building. Cause as the old saying from the 700s says: When Coliseum is falling - so is Rome. And when Rome is falling – so is the world. Leave a Comment
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