A Week In Rome: The Colosseum

Rome's most recognizable landmark to tourists is the Colosseum, and our first instinct on our trip to Rome was to head there on the first day. We hopped on the Metro and got off at Colosseum station, stepped out the front entrance to the station, and there it was:

During the summer, crowds at the Colosseum can be enormous. Our excellent guidebook, "Rick Steves' Rome 2004", recommended buying a ticket at nearby Palatine Hill to avoid the Collosseum lines, as both tickets give entry to both attractions. But in November, Rome is gloriously uncrowded, and we walked right into the Colosseum without any sort of line, catching an English-language tour only minutes later.

The thing you need to know about the Colosseum is that all that stuff you've heard, about gladiators fighting to the death, petty thieves meeting their end with Barbary lions, and the general bloodthirsty nature of the whole ritual--is absolutely true. Russell Crowe could not exaggerate the horror of what would happen here. The only real myth about the place is that Christians were thrown to the lions here--in fact, only criminals were thrown to the lions here. Christians met their end in the nearby Circus Maximus or, ironically, the spot that now is home to the Vatican. More on that later.

The many gladiators and animals involved in this spectacle, which lasted a thousand years and was always free to the public, waited their turn in the labyrinth below the field, which is now exposed to view:

At showtime, both gladiators and animals were lifted onto the field by a rudementary elevator, that made them appear as if by magic. It was like professional wrestling, except nobody lasted long enough for an endorsement contract.

Walking in under the same arches as Roman senators, we immediately saw a crowd of Italian plebians, apparently unaware that such peasants should confine themselves only to the now nonexistent upper level seating.

Such insolence would not be tolerated. Almost immediately, Emperor Burlusconi called out the lions.

Sadly, the lion was too distracted by a nearby sparkly thing to eat anybody, and the plebians continued to desecrate the luxury box level with impunity.

Hidden in a hallway was an original frieze showing the fun and games. This is what is known as a "Roman Instant Replay".

Inside the temporary exhibit hall, this fellow appears to have forgotten something.

A 2000 year old arch stands between the Colosseum and Palatine Hill. There used to be a gigantic statue known as the Collossus in front of the Colosseum as well, and thus the name. But the Collossus is long gone, and only the nearby arch remains.