Visiting the Colosseum, Roman Forum & Palatine Hill

It was a cool and partially rainy day when we visited the Colosseum, Roman Forum & Palatine Hill – it was mid December and therefore early Winter in Rome, and that meant it was not tourist season!! This was good as the lines to get into these attractions were nowhere near what they would be during the peak of tourist season. So, we were happy about that small benefit.

Entry to these attractions are bundled together, so if you ever do decide to visit and it is tourist season (or not) queue via the Forum as this line is always shorter than the Colosseum.

Once inside the Forum the epic nature of the city is quite amazing… and huge! Originally a marshland, the Romans cleared the land to create the business and political district which became the centre of Roman Life.

The Forum

The Forum

The Palatine is set on Palatine Hill, one of the seven hills of Rome, and was the site that the original settlers in Rome. Eventually though it was to to become the centre of Roman parliament (what modern Western parliament is based on), and as such is where Caligula was killed during a parliamentary session.

Here is some information from: http://www.rometoolkit.com/whattodo/colosseum.htm
The Palatine is the spot on which the first settlers built their huts, under the direction of Romulus. In later years, the hill became a residential district attracting the nobility. In time, however, the area gave way to imperial palaces and drew the famous such as Caligula (murdered here by members of his Praetorian Guard) and Nero.

View up to Palatine Hill

The Colosseum was the centre of entertainment for Romans, and the site of the gladiator.
Here is some information from: http://www.rometoolkit.com/whattodo/colosseum.htm

When construction was completed on the Colosseum in 80 AD it was the largest amphitheatre built in all of Rome and could house over fifty thousand people! The engineering skill and technology of the day was pushed to its limits by its construction and design. The stadium was even designed to flooded in order to provide for mock navel battles.
The Colosseum was built primarily to entertain the masses in brutal and barbaric games. Some were beast on beast combat to the death. Others were people fighting animals to the death, while the most popular was the human on human combat. Gladiators were slaves, often captured in war, that were trained in special schools to fight each other to the death.

The Colosseum – underground tunnels that housed gladiators and animals

The Colosseum

WOW!! I love that bit about the stadium being built to flood for mock naval battles – that snipet of trivia I did not know!
Over all it was a great day and well worth a visit if you’re ever in Rome. Of course there are ruins and history everywhere you look in Rome – but that is a post for another day!

The following pictures are some more images from the day 🙂 Enjoy!!

The Forum

The Forum

The Forum

The Forum

The Colosseum

The Colosseum – underground tunnels that housed gladiators and animals

Strobe

Me