Monday, July 29, 2024

The Colosseum

The Roman Colosseum

The Colosseum is perhaps the most famous landmark in Rome, Italy. It is a definite must-see when visiting Rome. It was built in 70 AD and when it opened, the emperor Titus hosted 100 days of gladiator games. Games were not the only thing the Colosseum was used for. It also housed plays, public executions, a church, apartments, and even a cemetery. Earthquakes destroyed part of the humongous building. Restoration began in earnest during the 19th century.

Visiting the Colosseum is relatively inexpensive. I prefer to purchase the Roma Pass to get around Rome, and I use my free entry ticket at the Colosseum, because you can visit the Colosseum, Palatine Hill, and the Forum all in one ticket. Before choosing to use your free pass with your Roma Pass for the Colosseum, be sure that you select your entry time before it is sold out. You can purchase your Colosseum Tickets using the Roma Pass by visiting this website:

Colosseum Tickets with the Roma Pass

The Colosseum is perhaps the very easiest destination to reach in Rome because it is literally only steps off the Colosseo metro stop! Even if you don't purchase tickets, you can hop off the metro at Colosseo and just admire the vastness of the structure. I very highly recommend hopping off this stop at night and seeing the Colosseum all lit up! I have visited Rome 4 times and each time I made sure to visit the Colosseum both during the day and at night. It is a very safe area to be in, even at night, and there are always plenty of people around. Just be sure you watch for pick-pockets! We also saw many street vendors trying to sell umbrellas (because it was raining on two of our visits) and police trying to scare them away. Three of the four times I have visited the Colosseum it was raining. Still totally worth it! Do NOT miss the Colosseum!

view of the Arch of Constantine from one of the Colosseum windows

My husband and I on our visit in 2020

view of the Colosseum from Palatine Hill

view of the Colosseum from inside the Forum

a model of the Colosseum

The Colosseum at night on our 2024 visit to Rome

Our visit in 2025

The entrance line for those of us with tickets

view from the Colosseum

view of the Forum from the Colosseum

Arch of Constantine

This cat lives in the Colosseum!

Our view of the Colosseum and Arch of Constantine from Palatine Hill

The google maps location of the Colosseum is here: Colosseum

Places to Eat Near the Colosseum:

On our 2025 trip to Italy, we ate at an restaurant near the Colosseum. We were seated outside and it was really nice to hear the bustle of Rome, the church bells, and people. We enjoyed the restaurant, although we weren't able to finish our entire meal and were chastised by our waiter. I have never had that happen before! He didn't want us to leave until we had finished our plates. We ate all that we could and then apologetically paid our bill! I did enjoy the food very much.