The Colosseum, Roman Forum and Palatine Hill

Raring to go after a good night’s sleep, John and I got up early to head to the Roman amphitheatre, known as the Colosseum. We’d booked a tour to cover all the levels, as well as the Roman Forum and Palatine Hill. Kathy walked up there with us, via the Trevi fountain, although she wasn’t doing the tour, preferring to spend the morning exploring and shopping instead.

The Colosseum was built by Roman emperors in the first century BC for gladiator and animal fights. The tour guide explained how these were great spectacles, set up like a theatrical show. There were different types of gladiators, clothed and armed differently, but attempts were made to ensure gladiators were evenly matched so that fights weren’t over too quickly. Gladiators were the sport or film stars of their time and people had their favourites.

In the first part of the tour we visited the underground levels of the amphitheatre, where the preparations for the gladiatorial games took place. Although less refined than the upper levels, the construction of the walls, floors and drainage system was amazing, considering that, 2000 years ago, the Romans wouldn’t have had the tools and technology that we have today.

The underground area would have been full of animals, such as bears or tigers, that had been captured to be killed in the show. Winches and elevators have been reconstructed to demonstrate how people, animals and props would reach the arena through trapdoors. There were lots of these around the arena, from which animals could emerge suddenly to surprise spectators and make the show more exciting.

Slaves would have looked after the animals and prepared the theatrical sets for the arena in the depths of the Colosseum. It would have been unpleasant work because the corridors and rooms would have been dark, smelly and claustrophobic, covered by the stage above.

Next we went up to terraces. The 80,000 spectators would have entered through 76 numbered arches around the amphitheatre. Seats were assigned in a strict hierarchical order, with slaves right at the top and the senators closest to the arena. The emperor had an imperial balcony, from when he could choose, influenced by the shouts and cheers of the crowd, whether a gladiator should live or die. Although we have been led to believe otherwise in films, most were allowed to live… after all, it was expensive and time consuming to train new gladiators, and the emperor wouldn’t want to upset the crowd by killing their favourites!

It was interesting looking back down into the corridors that would have been below the stage, imagining the gladiators and hunters preparing to fight, and how frightened the animals would have been, while the excited crowd roared above them. I was fascinated by how similar the amphitheatre is to modern stadiums… numerous entrances or exits, tiered seating, sponsorship panels and so on.

Higher up the terraces, we enjoyed the view of the triumphal arch, the Forum and the city beyond. The Roman Forum is full of buildings (many now in ruins) that were built over centuries for political, religious and commercial activities. Monuments were added by various emperors. It’s been a lovely day and we enjoyed wandering through the ruins, although we both said we’d had enough of old lumps of rock by the end of the tour!

Before we headed back to meet Kathy, we climbed the steps to see the view from Palatine Hill… well, we did once we managed to find the steps, hidden away in a corner! Palatine Hill is one of the seven hills of Rome and it was quite a steep climb to the top, winding our way through ancient buildings, past terraces and balconies, and through beautiful gardens. We were surprised to see bright green parrots flitting between the trees, having been alerted to their presence by their screeching conversations! At the top, it was amazing how far we could see across the city, and fascinating to see the buildings in the Forum and the Colosseum from another angle.

Back with Kathy, we spent a leisurely afternoon, wandering through beautiful streets and drinking beer and cocktails in the sunshine, before heading to a pizzeria that had been recommended by a friend. Unfortunately, the pizzeria was closing just as we arrived, but they kindly made a takeaway for us, which we sat and ate on some steps… delicious.

Back at the apartment, Heather and Gavin had also arrived back from their tour of the Colosseum (they’d planned theirs for later in the day to avoid the early start). We were all quite tired so we relaxed for a bit before heading out again at about 8 o’clock. John and Gavin wanted to watch the Liverpool football match, so they’d located a Scottish (and unusually not Irish!) sports bar just 6 minutes away. We were lucky to get the last decent sized table when we arrived, and we settled down for burgers and chips, waiting for the game to begin.

It was a lovely, very lively evening, surrounded by lots of Liverpool (and two poor Tottenham) fans. Liverpool won 4-0 and got through to the Carabao Cup final, much to the excitement of the crowd in the bar. A band was playing in the room next to ours, and we enjoyed singing along to covers from bands including Oasis, the Stereophonics and Keane. By this time, it was after 11.30 so we wound our way back to the apartment through the narrow cobbled streets, tired and content, and ready for sleep.