The Colosseum

The Colosseum Called by the ancient Romans, "Anphitheatrum Flavlum" (Flavian Amphitheatre), the Colosseum is the most famous and impressive monument of ancient Rome, as well as the largest amphitheater in the world.
The name is undoubtedly linked to the large size of the building but derives above all from the fact that nearby there was a colossal statue of Nero and bronze.

In 1990, the Colosseum, along with all the historical center of Rome, the Vatican extraterritorial zones in Italy and the Basilica of St. Paul Outside the Walls, was listed as a World Heritage Site by UNESCO, while in July 2007 was included among the New seven Wonders of the World.

Visit the Colosseum The Colosseum is open to the public every day from 8.30am to sunset (4.30pm in winter, 7.30pm in summer), excluding January 1st (closed) and December 25th (open only in the morning).
The Colosseum Underground and the third level with the attic are also open to the public while, on some days of the week, it is possible to visit the Flavian Amphitheater even at night, with guided tours of the underground.
The entrance ticket is valid for 24 hours and also allows entry to the Roman Forum and the Palatine Hill.
On the first Sunday of the month, the entry to the Colosseum (Roman Forum and Palatine Hill) is free for everyone but the arena and underground areas remain closed for safety reasons. In these cases it is not possible to book online but it is necessary to collect the ticket on site before entering the Colosseum.

The origins The construction took place in the area occupied by the enormous house of Nero 's Domus Aurea , built after the great fire of Rome in 64, which was supposed to be a valley surrounded by the hills of Velia , Palatine, Celio , Opium , and Fagutale and was crossed by a stream that ran in the direction of the Tiber along a path that roughly follows the actual street of San Gregorio.
The presence of the pond was abundantly exploited to save on foundations made ??of travertine pillars resting on a ring of concrete continuous , interrupted only by a few culverts for the flow of groundwater that would otherwise have flooded the entire area.

After killing the emperor's statue was remodeled to depict the sun god , by adding the appropriate solar crown . The Colosseum was then moved from its original location to make way for the Temple of Venus and Rome under Hadrian . The site of the base of the colossal statue after the move and ' currently marked by a modern tufa base .

The Flavian Amphitheater is elliptical in shape , with a circumference of 527 meters , 188 meters along the major axis and the minor axis 156 57 meters high .
Could hold up to 70,000 seats and the arena was 76 meters x 46 . The first 3 floors were made of arches framed by half-columns , the fourth floor and ' scompartito by pilasters and there were inserted the poles that supported the large curtain into wedges to protect the spectators from the sun.

Among the 7 Wonders of the World! On the night of 7 July 2007, in Lisbon, the Colosseum was included among the 7 wonders of the modern world in a universal survey in which 100 million people from all continents participated.
With the Colosseum were elected: the Great Wall of China, the ancient Jordanian city of Petra, the Statue of Christ the Redeemer of Rio de Janeiro in Brazil, the Inca Ruins of Machu Picchu in Peru, the Mayan Pyramid of Chichen Itza in Mexico, and the Taj Mahal (India).

Legends According to some medieval myths, the Colosseum is the entrance that leads directly to the underworld, where, at dusk, the souls of the dead wander in search of eternal peace that perhaps will never find, because 'experts in a violent manner and prematurely.
Another legend says that many plants from distant lands, which are engrafted in the area of the Colosseum, have been brought sandals wayfarers or the legs of the animals sacrificed by evil emperors.