Saturday 20 June 2015

Colosseum - Part Gore , Part Glory


Inch closer to the Colosseum and we had already started to have that amazing feeling of going back to emperor's era. One of the best preserved monument where the stories come alive as you start to walk.


Colosseum , being a top attraction and the representation of the Rome there is very little to be proud of this monument as its more of tragic,sacrifices and politics than glory
Colosseum was initially built for entertainment purpose where water was pumped into middle of stage to create a theatrical show and also gain public confidence, no doubt Romans were into politics way back.
Vantage view of the center stage

When Colosseum was converted as fight arena, atleast 1000 lives were killed including animals and humans during the opening day.
As this continued and the blood thirsty crowd enjoyed the show, its said that Romans drew lot of the animals to extinctions and large bears were one of them.
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Trap doors and space for the movement beneath the stage
During these time, Gladiator's were fighting for their lives and killing each others along with slaves and countless animals for public fun.
Underground passage beneath the stage , used for water movement and cleaning of all the blood shed
Beneath the stage thousands of slaves and animals lived in dark for years, cleaning the bloodshed. Few of the trap doors and underground passages are still visible from where the animals enter the stage to make the fight thrilling and amuse the crowd.

View of the Colosseum from Roman Forum


Below are few tips and information which will help to enjoy the visit
  • Entire duration might take up to 3 to 4 hours based on queue and visiting season
  • Start very early and avoid taxi as public transports are available to reach Colosseum and as the saying goes “Rome is best explored on foot”
  • During the time of visit ensure to be very ahead of time as there is always a lengthy queue and do book the entry well in advance.
  • Check the possibility of booking for underground tour , which is reopened to public and is very informative and worth it
  • The very moment you are entering the boundary of the Colosseum there are people with Gladiator outfit who will be very friendly to take your photos and next thing you know is ending up paying tips so if you don't need avoid it, else enjoy the photos :)