Moving to Rome see the Roman Coliseum

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When you move to Rome, you will experience great new food, a new culture and you can enjoy some of the most famous tourist destinations in the world.
The Coliseum is one of the top destinations in Europe and maybe even the world.

History of the Roman Coliseum (Colosseum)

The Flavian Amphitheatre, which today is known as the Coliseum, is one of Rome’s most famous buildings.
In Italy, the amphitheatre is known as il Colosseo.
It is hard to believe that this elliptical structure has been intact since the time of the ancient Romans!
Although Emperor Vespasian began construction of this building, his son Titus managed the completion in 80 A.D.
The original structure took a total of eight years to build.
The theater was originally 144 feet tall and was comprised of four floors.
Between 45,000 and 55,000 spectators could fill the Coliseum when events took place.
With 80 entrances surrounding the ground level, the total crowd could exit the amphi theater in 5 minutes.

Four of the entrances were reserved for the emperor or other VIPs.
This building is quite extraordinary even with today’s standards!

There were two special boxes at the north and south end of the Coliseum.
The north box was reserved for the Emperor.
The south box was reserved for the Vestal Virgins, who were virgin holy female priestesses of Vesta, whose primary task was to maintain the sacred fire of Vesta.
These two boxes offered the best views in the Coliseum.

Gladiatorial combat took place at the Roman Coliseum for nearly four centuries.
The last fight was recorded in 435 A.D.
It was also used for public spectacles such as mock sea battles, executions and theatrical performances based on classical mythology.

The Coliseum games ceased around the beginning of the medieval period and leaders started using it for other purposes.
There was even a small church built into the structure by the late 6^th century.
The arena was converted into a cemetery and many of the vaulted spaces were converted to housing and workshops.
Around 1200 the Frangipani family used it as a castle.
The south side of the Coliseum was destroyed in an earthquake in 1349.

Much of the rubble from the Coliseum was used to build other structures and castles.

The Coliseum Today
The Coliseum has experienced a lot of damage over the years.
Today, when visitors see the exterior of the building, they are actually looking at the original interior walls of the ancient structure.
Vegetation that was growing throughout the structure was removed and improvements were made throughout the 1800s and 1900s.

Between 1993 and 2000 over $20 million (at 2000 prices) was put into the restoration of the Coliseum.
Along with some other renovations, part of the arena floor has been re-floored.

Today, millions of tourists visit this ancient site and it is one of the most popular destinations.
The building, with a very rich history, is now the background to modern Rome.

Some musicians use the building as a backdrop when they hold concerts just outside of it.

Because the building is in ruins, it can only seat a few hundred people.
This pales in comparison to the thousands that used to visit the Coliseum to watch the gladiator matches.
The building is also used for Roman Catholic Ceremonies.
Specifically, the Pope leads services at this location on Good Fridays.

This magnificent ancient structure has withstood major earthquakes, wars and other natural disasters.
The building has an amazing past filled with gladiators, deaths, wars, religious ceremonies and many other historical events.
On July 7, 2007 the Coliseum was voted as one of the Seven Wonders of the World!