The place to be in Rome - The Colloseum

If you are in Rome, this is the place to be.

Within Rome City are numerous historical and magnificent Piazzas, Fontanas and medieval structures but Colloseum obviously outshines them all. Upon seeing how massive this centuries old amphitheatre the wife and I were lost for words because amidst the modern and bustling city is a magnificent structure that withstood the test of time. Once inside you couldn’t help but imagine how the ancient Romans have entertain themselves with brutal games; this is the place where gladiators have fought and hunts wild animals.

We bought admission vouchers online for 16 Euro per person so as to “skip the line” of tourists entering this place. The ticket includes access to “The Roman Forum” and “Palatine Hills” within two days. After the security check you have to exchange your vouchers to admission tickets before you’d be allowed to enter the actual place.

Having read on internet that due to security and safety reasons they are limiting the visitors inside up to 3000 only at the same time so we decided to reserve our visit at 9 am. As expected, there are less queues during early morning and those with reserved tickets enter a different security gate; after passing the security we proceeded to the reservation counters to exchange our vouchers into admission tickets. However, since it wasn’t 9 O’clock yet the turnstile didn’t bulge when our tickets were scanned thus we were asked to wait for another couple of minutes. There were other people waiting with us.  

Arco De Constantino

There are two levels inside the Coloseum. We explored both levels inside and had a great view of “Arco De Constantino.” Unfortunately, the Arena area was off limits.

"The Forum" view from Colloseum

The "Palatine Hills" view from "The Forum"

Temple under renovation at "The Roman Forum"

After more than an hour we searched for the exit and proceeded to adjacent ‘Palatine Hills” and “Roman Forum.” At "The Roman Forum" you’d find ruins of several ancient temples and structures while going up the Palatine Hills will give you a majestic view of surrounding area.

Nasoni

Having seen the different Piazzas, Fontanas and the Pantheon the wife opted to have some rest under the shade while I strolled up the "Palatine Hills." Soon after, I coerced the wife to explore "The Roman Forum." Doing so, we noticed a “Nasoni” or free flowing drinking water fountain. At first, the wife was hesitant to refill our empty water bottle but upon seeing a couple of police personnel drinking directly from it we filled our bottles with refreshingly cold water.  

We couldn’t believe that we have visited this magnificent monument. The entire place could give you a window on how the ancient Romans have lived.

We left the place before noon; summer in Rome is quite unbearably hot compared with Paris. We took a taxi to return back to our hotel.