When in Rome, you have got to conquer Ancient Rome!
One of my favourite subjects at school was history so when I visited Rome in Italy, it was only right that I visited some of the most famous ancient roman historical sites. Anyone who knows me, knows how much I love history, so I had a great time geeking out for a few hours!
I booked a guided tour (through Get Your Guide) of the Roman Forum, Palatine Hill and the Colosseum and Colosseum Arena. It cost €69 and the tour included skip-the-line entrance to each site and the arena and an extremely knowledgeable tour guide. The tour lasts approximately 2.5-3 hours (2 hours in the heat of summer).
On the tour, we first visited the Roman Forum and Palatine Hill. Here you can see the spot where Julius Caesar was cremated, see the ruins of the Temple of the Vestal Virgins and wander through an old palace. It was really cool to see the larger sections of ruins but also really fascinating to see and learn about the small details such as brick archways within the walls of buildings which are load bearing and prevent collapse.
Fun facts from the Roman Forum and Palatine Hill:
Elon Musk had recently sent flowers to Julius Caesar’s cremation site, and they were still there when I visited.
The Roman Empire lasted for 1500 years
Basilicas were originally the courthouses of the ancient world. When Christianity took over, they became churches for the public.
The second stop on the tour was the Colosseum and its arena. The Colosseum took 8 years to build and could fit up to 70,000 spectators. We entered the Colosseum through the Gate of Death (the eastern gates, where fighters entered unlikely to leave alive) onto the arena floor. We looked out upon the ‘basement’ of the arena which has been excavated to show where animals and fighters were kept before they came out onto the arena through one of the 28 trapdoors – so cool! We then left the arena to go through the little museum to the upper levels to view the arena from above. We then left the Colosseum through the Gate of Life (the western gate, where fighters would leave if chosen to survive). Today, the Colosseum has around 25,000 visitors a day. It was amazing to visit such an iconic landmark.
Fun facts from the Colosseum:
Games were held only in summer and no one knows exactly how frequently games were held.
The Vatican once wanted to make the Colosseum a giant church but they ran out of funds so couldn’t adapt it.
The original floor was wood covered by sand. Arena means sand – they used sand because it was easier to clean up.
The Colosseum originally had a retractable roof – it had an open hole in centre not to let in light but to release smell of dead bodies
Our guide was extremely knowledgeable and enthusiastic. We had a good laugh at the Colosseum because I was taking notes and he said I was trying to steal his job! He was so happy to answer as many questions as we could throw at him and he was genuinely enthusiastic about Italy and Ancient Rome.
I visited Rome in early November. It was relatively warm when I did this tour (around 20°C, warm enough to walk around with no jumper on). Be aware that on this tour, there is a lot of walking and a lot of information and facts thrown at you.
Veni, Vedi, Vici (I came, I saw, I conquered) – Julius Caesar
Comments