Our Favourite Coliseum Facts

By Megan Hills

Gladiators, tournaments, Nero and more - here are some of the best Coliseum facts!

This distinctive structure hearkens back to ancient Roman times, and more specifically to 72-80AD when Emperor Vespasian commissioned it to win favour with his subjects. With a colourful history spanning hundreds of years, it's racked up a few interesting stories and some great facts, check out our favourite coliseum facts below!

The biggest events held at the Coliseum were free

Major public events like big gladiatorial tournaments and performances were open to the public, subsidised by the emperor to gain favour with citizens. With a capacity of over 50,000 spectators, that was no small feat - especially when you consider food was often free too!

The Coliseum derives its name from the statue that used to stand nearby

A gigantic statue of Emperor Nero, named the Colossus of Nero, was a part of Nero's Park and stood beside the gigantic Flavian amphitheatre. Its name is an homage to that statue and to Nero's reign.

Citizens used to be shaded by the Velarium, a retractable marquee

Italy is notorious for its burning sunshine and back in ancient times, a retractable shade would cover spectators during performances and was held up by 240 brackets. Since then, its been eroded and modern day visitors will have to brave the summer sun to explore the coliseum.

The Coliseum has become a symbol of resistance against capital punishment

In an act of redemption for its bloody gladiatorial past, the coliseum's lights shift from white to gold for 48 hours whenever a death sentence is commuted or overturned. It has also become a site of protest against capital punishment and its golden lights were last lit in 2012, when Connecticut abolished the death penalty.

Lions weren't the only animals killed in the Coliseum

Hundreds of thousands of animals were slaughtered in the bloody games at the Coliseum, shipped in from every corner of the Roman empire. Aside from lions, other animals included jaguars, hippos, elephants, hyenas, rhinos also made appearances and were held underground in pens underneath the Coliseum.

The Coliseum has a diverse range of flora and fauna, which has dwindled in recent years

The Coliseum once had an important place in the plant kingdom, with hundreds of rare species of plant growing amongst its stones. It was a popular place for botanists and horticulturists to do research, however many plants have died out with the change in climate and in recent years the Coliseum is regularly cleared out of plantlife to make way for visitors.

Materials from the Coliseum were used to construct monuments such as St. Peter's Basilica

Rome has a tradition of recycling materials from structures to build new ones and the Coliseum wasn't impervious to this. As it fell into disrepair, its marble facade was repurposed for St. Peter's Basilica on the Pope's orders which is now also a famous Roman tourist attraction.
Megan Hills
Rome Travel Expert

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Top 10 Things to Eat in Rome

You certainly won’t go hungry on your visit to Rome. It’s a city that loves its food and boasts some of the best pizzerias and gelaterias in Italy. We get a bit excited when we think about local delicacies in Rome, so we decided to put our heads together and pick our top 10 things to eat in Rome. So treat it like a bitesize bucket list of food. From little tomato-y arancini rice balls, to spaghetti alle vongole; chilled sorbets and fried anything – here is our best of the best, in no particular order... Pizza Now there’s no doubt that pizza is a bit of a non-mover on anyone’s top 10. A staple on any holiday to Rome, you can get pizza al taglio – which literally means slice – to takeaway with you, or sit down to an orbit of soft dough and all manner of toppings, from savoury to sweet. One of our favourites is a pizza bianca which is without tomato sauce and sometimes just sprinkled with salt. Arancini These little rice balls actually originate from Sicily but are a popular snack and served in most pizzerias. They’re a perfect accompaniment to any quick meal and a much healthier ‘fast food’ option when you’re on the go. Oozing with mozzarella and bound together with a breadcrumb outside, they are little balls of tomato rice heaven! Fritti The Roman’s love their fried food and will fry even vegetables! This may sound like any healthy-eater’s nightmare but it is delicious. Thanks to the Roman’s affinity with good food and quality olive oils they are never greasy so we recommend you opt for baccala (salt cod) or fiori di zucca (fried zucchini flowers) the next time you’re in a restaurant. Spaghetti alle vongole Vongole are little clams and are served as a speciality spaghetti dish in Rome and further south in Campania. Served in the shell, the main flavours in the dish are oil, garlic, parsley and maybe a splash of white wine – or if you opt for the rosso version just add tomatoes and fresh basil. Delicious if you like both pasta and seafood! Gelato Now this is an overarching theme in any food bloggers account of Rome. Blessed with some of the mouth-watering gelaterias in Rome, you won’t go short of a sweet creamy gelato, or refreshing sorbet. With flavours like hazelnut and espresso, to mango and kiwi, you can mix and match it all to your palette’s content! Roman Artichokes Carciofi (artichokes) are a big deal in Rome. They are such a staple vegetable that they have even been given a protected status by the EU! They are often fried, fritti style, or mixed into dishes like pasta and pizza. You can also indulge in ‘Jewish style artichokes’ which are fried so lightly they melt in your mouth. Saltimbocca One of the most popular dishes in Rome for both locals and tourists is saltimbocca, which literally means ‘jumping in the mouth’ – alluding to the pleasant sensations you’ll get whilst eating it! Typically it’s a meat dish, which can vary in chicken, which is its most common for, or, lamb. Garnished with prosciutto, mozzarella, sage and spinach, it’s a winning combination of flavours! Bucatini all'amatriciana One of the most Roman of all pasta shapes is the bucatini shape, a thick spaghetti like pasta but with a hollow centre. It’s great for scooping up the delicious cheesy sauces that run through its middle – so not one for those counting calories! It’s often served all’amatriciana, tomatoes, pepperoncino and guanciale (pigs cheek). Delicious! Coda alla vaccinara Oxtail soup is a hearty, meaty Roman delicacy that’s not to be missed. Local to the city, specifically from Arenula, the hub of Rome’s slaughterhouses, the butchers would sell their offal to local trattorias who would create dishes out of them – one of them being coda alla vaccinara – which is made by braising the tail of the cow and serving with stewed vegetables, celery, onion and seasonal herbs. Chicory Winter chicory, puntarelle, is another popular vegetable in Rome and is often found served on its own with a sprinkling of olive oil, anchovy and salt, served either raw or cooked. It’s a refreshing, bitter crunchy vegetable and a great accompaniment to salads or meatier dishes. One to try at home! image credit: Naotake Murayama - Flickr
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Day trips from Rome

Rome is located just so that it is great for short day trips out of the city in less than two hours travel time. Rome has a whole historic area to be discovered in Ostia and the Appian way as well as other great destinations for the summer, like the Ostia Lido with long sandy beaches and seaside bars. If you’re staying in the city for a bit longer, it’s well worth planning some day trips from Rome to explore more of the area.   Appian Way The Appian Way is one of the most impressive historic ruins in Rome and is one of the earliest stretches of straight roads in Rome, dating back to 312 BC. The road was originally used as a military road which is why it needed to be as straight and strategic as possible, later aiding in the victory of the Second Samnite War. Visitors can still see the ruins and old road still intact – and set in a public park it makes for a great day out and a beautiful spot for a picnic. Address: Via Appia Antica, Roma How to get there: 118 bus from Circo Massimo Metro Station   Ancient Ostia Ostia Antica, or Ancient Ostia, is Rome’s ancient harbor city – before the river moved over the years to where it lies now. Ostia means ‘mouth’ in Latin and was the mouth of the River Tiber. The oldest settlements, most believe, date back to between 396 and 267 BC and it was mainly a military center until the early Imperial period where there is evidence of a theatre and the growth of the Forum, where commerce and trade took place. For anyone interested in history, it’s a fascinating Address: Ostia Antica, 00119, Rome How to get there: Roma-Lido station (by Piramide) and get off at Ostia Antica   Ostia Lido Ostia is the Romans’ go-to summer destination. Just 30kms away from the city center by train, this seaside resort brings both Italian tourists and locals alike to its sandy shores. The town itself is relatively small, with typical Art Deco buildings along the coast and more Fascist-style buildings towards the fringes. During the summer months, it’s a great place to spend the day, bring your towel and enjoy the many seaside restaurants and bars to take you through the day and into the night. If you’re staying for longer there are many B&Bs and hotels to choose from for a short stay. Address: Ostia Lido, Rome How to get there: Roma-Lido station (by Piramide) and get off at Ostia Lido Centro   Castelli Romani The Castelli Romani are a cluster of wine-producing towns southeast of Rome, set in the volcanic area of Colli Albani. It’s a pleasant escape from the hot summer months, with its natural lakes and beautiful mountains with a national park. One of the most popular towns in the area is Frascati – known mostly for its wine! It’s a beautiful hillside town where you can sit out at pavement restaurants, drink wine and indulge in fine food. Address: Frascati, Rome How to get there: Train to Frascati from Termini   Hadrian's Villa Villa Adriana, or Hadrian’s Villa, is one of the most beautiful complexes of Roman ruins you can visit. Situated in Tivoli, you can wander through the classical buildings still standing and exemplary of the times in which they were built. Having been built in 2AD, it is the perfect ancient city with architectural styles from Egypt, Greece, and Rome and its statues and monuments give it the status as a World Heritage Site – and rightly so. Spend the day discovering the beauty of this ancient villa from its thermae, to its theatre, temples, and staterooms. Address: Largo Marguerite Yourcenar, 1, 00010 Tivoli RM How to get there: COTRAL buses to Tivoli from Ponte Mammolo station
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Top 10 Museums and Art Galleries in Rome

A visit to Rome is more than just seeing the sights, visiting the Coliseum and having a slice of pizza. With a culture and heritage that far exceeds that of most countries, some argue, there is a wealth of knowledge and history to be learned in Rome from the countless museums and art galleries showcasing the hundreds of priceless marble statues, frescoes and mosaics that Rome is so famous for. We decided to put our heads together and come up with a top 10. As Rome has over five times that to pick, it was quite a feat whittling them down. Below is a good mix of the classical, the contemporary, the arty and the ancient. And what’s more, they’re either free or discounted with your Roma Pass – so now there really is no excuse. Castel Sant’Angelo One of the most imposing landmarks along the iconic River Tiber is Castel Sant’Angelo which has been a mausoleum and fortress in Rome for over 2000 years. Although its now a fascinating museum, visitors can learn about Emperor Hadrian, for whom it was built, as well as the various roles it has played over time, including a Papal refuge. There’s even a secret tunnel that leads into St Peter’s Basilica! Capitoline Museums The Capitoline Museums sit up on the Capitoline Hill behind the wedding cake, the Roman’s colloquial name for the Vittorio Emmanuele landmark. These museums are some of the most important in Rome and also in the world, founded by Pope Sixtus IV in the 1470s, who donated some of his own bronze statues. By making private collections open to the public, he inadvertently created the first museum! Here you’ll find some of the famous statues from Ancient Rome such as the She Wolf. Vatican Museums It’s said that the estimated worth of the Vatican Museums are an eye-watering sum of €15 billion – not a number to be sniffed at! Among the miles and miles of art, sculptures, tapestries, busts and mosaics is the impressive Sistine Chapel, painted by Michelangelo in the 16th century. The Last Judgement is regarded as one of the most influential and iconic frescoes in all of art history, and considering its in the Holy See of the Vatican City, how could it not be up there in a top 10? Villa Borghese This grand villa in the stunning grounds of the Borghese Park was once the villa of the rich and influential Scipione Borghese. The collection within Villa Borghese started off as a private body of works and now contains both classic and contemporary art, with some pieces dating back 2000 years. To name drop some of the bigger artists on show, you can admire pieces by Bernini, Caravaggio, Boticelli and Rapahel. Villa Borghese is divided up into old and new and each room, or sala, offers something to be learnt from both past and present. Museum of Rome The Museum of Rome actually has two addresses, so you get two museums for the price of one in this case! One is located near Palazzo Braschi and its aim is to celebrate and champion the ‘forgotten art’ of the middle ages. Inside this museum you will see the lesser known pieces, which make it all the more impressive. From costumes and fabrics, to ceramics and sculptures, you’ll discover a side of Rome you never knew. MACRO From old into new, the MACRO celebrates everything modern and contemporary. An acronym for the Museum of Contemporary Art in Rome, the MACRO is housed in two buildings, aptly post-industrial; a former brewery of Peroni and a former slaughterhouse. These two big, open spaces make for a fitting and striking canvas in which to display the gallery’s impressive, and notable, collections of Italian art dating from the 1960s. A celebration of national modern art, a visit to this gallery will teach you about the Rome and the Italy of today and the modern influences of society. MAXXI The MAXXI is the Museum of the National Arts from the 21st Century and is one of Rome’s newer spaces. Opened in 2010, here everything is championed from art to architecture, and the bolder the better. The building itself , designed by Zaha Hadid, won the Sterling Prize for architecture by the Royal Institute of British Architects so it’s worth a visit to see the premise alone. Within the gallery’s impressive walls lie all matter of exhibits in the art and architecture realm. There’s also a library, café and theatre for the performing arts, as well as an outdoor space, too. Planetarium and Astronomy Museum Off kilter from the art and history, we delve even further back into the history of space and science. One of the lesser-appreciated museums in Rome is the Planetarium and Astronomy Museum which – for any adult or child interested in the subject – is well worth a visit with a spare few hours! Learn about our universe, how planets were formed and peer through the telescope at Technotown. It might not be art, but it’s a fun alternative! National Etruscan Museum The Etruscan period, is a period named after a group of ancient Italians in the Lazio - Tuscan area, dating roughly from 700BC to 4BC. The National Etruscan Museum within Villa Giulia in Rome is dedicated solely to preserving and upholding the Etruscan heritage and history that is rife throughout Rome’s past and culture. In the museum, Etruscan artefacts such as the famous almost-life size terracotta ‘his and hers’ sarcophagus of a man and wife at dinner, which dates to the 6th century BC. Other artefacts include the Apollo of Veii and the Cista Ficoroni. If you want ancient, ancient Rome – this is where you’ll find it. Museum of Roman Civilization Like it says on the tin, the Museum of Roman Civilization represents the history of Rome from an evolving civilization perspective. This museum focuses and reproduces the origins of the Eternal City to the 4th century through a model of archaic Rome, a full reconstruction of Trajan’s Column, and much more. Some of the thought provoking themes that are touched on and brought into light range from Caesar, to Christianity; schools and libraries; as well as commerce and agriculture. To gain a full understanding of Rome as a civilization there’s no museum like it. With the OMNIA Vatican & Rome Pass you can enjoy free entry to the Vatican Museums, the Sistine Chapel, as well as free entry into a further two of your choosing, from the Capitoline Museums to the MACRO. Find out more, here.
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