Welcome to the second post in my Italian series! This will be all about the Colosseum, and if you would like to read the first post about Rome & Vatican City click here.

We arrived at the meeting place really early because we didn’t want to be late. We were waiting for tour guide to arrive, so we sat somewhere close to the Colosseum, and were watching people pose for pictures nearby. There were many vendors walking around trying to sell us souvenirs. My dad bought me a small glass paper weight with a 3D Colosseum inside!

Now, for some VERY IMPORTANT ADVICE! Stay away from sleazy vendors. We got scammed. 😐 This vendor from Africa came up to us, he said, “Hi! Where you from?” Blah blah blah, and he was selling friendship bracelets made in Africa. My dad politely said no thanks, we didn’t want them. The vendor insisted and he told us that he would give them to us for free, tied them onto our wrists REALLY well so we couldn’t get them off. Then he asked for money because he had to take care of his baby back in Africa. We couldn’t give the bracelets back because his knot was IMPOSSIBLE to get undone. My dad was starting to get annoyed. Ugh! We ended up paying $20 for bracelets we didn’t even want. 🤦🏽‍♀️

Soon enough we met up with our guide and it was time to start the tour. My dad also booked this tour ahead of time. Below is the astonishing picture of the Colosseum I took! It is the most grandiose example of Roman architecture and it is a must-see during any trip to Rome.  The Colosseum is right in the heart of the city, and it’s amazing to think that such an grand and impressive building was built centuries ago. Have you heard the saying, “Better to see something once than to hear about it a thousand times”? I must say this is that moment. As most of you probably know, the Colosseum used to be an area where the Romans would mainly have their gladiator fights, animal hunts, and mock naval battles.

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The Colosseum was being reinforced when we visited. These things have to last a lifetime for more generations to enjoy. It feels good when you get to visit a place in person, rather than just hearing about it in history books. Now, time. For. A. History. Lesson. You. Have. To. Deal. With. It. 😜 The Colosseum was built in 70-80 AD, and it was built for the Romans who wanted to see the bloody gladiator fights. There was also a little maze down below the floor, that was where they kept the animals in their pens for the animal fights, there were also a lot of people down below working away to change scenery up above, and gladiators kept coming and going. It was built by/for Emperors Vespasian. The name was from a large statue called the Colossus of Nero that once stood nearby.

Audiences sat in different areas depending on their social status and gender. The emperor and the Vestal Virgins were seated on the lower tiers. Next to them were the senators, dressed in white. Knights and aristocrats sat in the tier above, and above them were the ordinary citizens. Women, slaves and poor citizens were move down to the uppermost tier. Some people including gravediggers, actors and former gladiators were banned completely.

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After our tour at the Colosseum we stopped at the Arch of Constantine, it is a triumphal arch dedicated to the emperor Constantine the Great, built in 315 from monuments recycled from earlier centuries. The Arch of Constantine was erected by the Roman Senate to commemorate Constantine the first’s victory at the Battle of the Milvian Bridge in 312. The arch spans the Via Triumphalis, the way taken by emperors and their armies, where large, cheering crowds gathered to welcome the victorious Roman troops.

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Then we walked to Palatine Hill, a huge outdoor museum and it is the centermost of the Seven Hills of Rome. Imperial palaces were built here, starting with Augustus. Before imperial times the hill was mostly occupied by the houses of the rich. It was a place for the Emperors of Rome. It was Emperor Augustus’s idea to built Palatine Hill in 27BC, and I enjoyed learning about all the ruins and what they used to be. Rome’s earliest known inhabitants lived on this hill above the Tiber many centuries before Roman rulers and aristocrats built their grand palaces here. Those palaces, temples, and public buildings reached their height of splendor in the reign of Domitian (81-92AD), and most of what you see when you visit Palentine Hill today is from that era. But each generation altered and rebuilt, so it is now hard to unravel the different periods of construction. I wrote here some of the ruins because I don’t want to bore you too much!

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Let’s continue! In the Circus Maximus they held horse races, some gladiator fights, exhibitions, running races, and executions. Sounds a lot like what they do at the Colosseum 🤔 The name Circus Maximus means really big circus, and that is actually true! At its peak, the Circus Maximus seated up to 300,000 spectators, making it six times larger than the Colosseum which only had capacity for 50,000 people.

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Palatine Hill was abandoned after the fall of the Roman Empire, and by the 11^th century it was almost a pile of ruins and the noble families of the time fought over control of the hill. In the 16th-century, a person turned Palatine Hill into the Farnese Gardens, incorporating the ruins into a tree-shaded park of terraces, lawns, flowerbeds, pavilions, and fountains for social occasions. 🤔 Archaeological excavations didn’t get under way until the 18^th century.

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Floor mosaics in the courtyard and several rooms have been uncovered, and conservation efforts are being done to wall paintings back to life. Here, more than any other place in the Palatine, you’ll get a sense of what life was like for these privileged Romans. The next one we visited is the Flavian Palace. It was completed by Emperor Titus Flavius Dominitanus in 92AD.

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Then the last part of the tour, the Roman Forum. It is an old plaza surrounded by ancient ruins. It was originally a marketplace in ancient times. Zee Rrrrrroman Forrrum is said to be zee birthplace of one Rrromulus and Rrremus. Okay, fine I’ll stop the crazy accent 😜 It was also a place where lots of Roman Emperors walked! Did I feel like an Emperor? No. The Emperors that were once in the Roman Forum where: Julius Caesar, Caligula, Nero, Claudius, and Hadrian. There’s a lot of remaining structures at the Roman Forum, but I won’t mention all of them because it’s a lot! For centuries the Forum was the center of day-to-day life in Rome. It’s the site of triumphal processions and elections, venue for public speech, and also gladiator matches. There’s also statues and monuments to honour the Rome’s great men and important people.

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After the tour we ate at the restaurant close by at the Colosseum, and I had pasta! The food in Italy is, *chef kiss* After that, we went for a walk to our hotel. Our hotel was walking distance from Castel San’t Angelo, where Emperor Hadrian and his family were buried. He was the emperor from the year 117 to 138, and the picture below is the huge door of the building, but now it’s a museum. My dad booked a hotel close to the main attractions, which also meant a LOT of walking! I was tired and ready to go to bed! It was a long day for us! That’s it for this post, everyone! Stay tuned for more of my Italy trips!

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P.S. We got three pairs of multicoloured earphones, EACH. In like, TWO DAYS.

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