Roma, Italy

Rome, Italy

 The time had come for us to go off on our own and experience what Europe has to offer!  I knew right away where I wanted to go.  Rome, Italy!  Not only did I want to go, but my mom and sister also would be joining me and had their hearts set on seeing Rome as well!

Italy is known for its wonderful history, arts, architecture, etc.  It was definitely going to be someplace that I  had to go and spend a lot of time in.  I decided that 3 nights in Rome would be a great idea, being that it was so large and has so much to offer.  Boy was I glad I didn't make it any shorter than that!

When we arrived in Rome, Italy I was extremely excited for what was awaiting me.  Although getting around and trying to figure out where our hotel was, wasn't as easy as planned we finally had managed to get situated and in no time were on our way to take Rome by storm.

After mastering their metro lines, we made our way to the Colosseum.

The Colosseum

Wow!  That's about all I could say as I walked up to this massive amphitheatre.  I have seen many images of it in textbooks but it does not give it justice.  I just sat and stared at it for a while and had to learn to take it all in.  It was so impressive.  Luckily, there was a tour group that came around and we were fortunate enough to join in and learn a little bit more about how and why this was built. 

The Colosseum was built in 72AD as one of the largest amphitheatres in the Roman Empire.  The building of this massive structure came under the rule of Vespasian, Titus and Domitian as a gift to Roman citizens.  This freestanding structure was chosen to be built in the low valley east of the Roman Forum.  Even though everyone knows that this theatre was built for gladiator events which could hold up to 50,000 people, it was important to also realize that these events helped bring in substantial industry.  These games caused several people to come out and be social with each other as well by booming the industry in the area surrounding the theatre.

The Colosseum itself contains three stories of arcades, which are framed by half columns in Ionic, Tuscan and Corinthian nature.  An attic which is composed of several Corinthian pilasters also helps to create this massive amphitheatre.  The seating for the Colosseum was also tiered among class stature.  They had two main entrances which would lead directly to the central boxes, while other pathways would lead the common spectators to their viewing areas.  Under the arena was the area where the animals would be stored and several different cages were held. 

The tour of the inside of the Colosseum to be honest seemed kind of like a rip off.  It was short and often times I could barely hear the tour guide talk or his english was terrible.  Although he was super knowledgeable about the Colosseum, I feel that I could have received the same information from books they were selling for cheaper outside of the amphitheatre.

Oh well, either way I was impressed with the structure and how much detail and love they put into the amphitheatre back then.  It is absolutely impressive that in 72AD they were able to create such a magnificent and important building that is still standing today.