We arrived for a guided tour of the Colleseum, The Roman Forum and Palatinate Hill. The meeting point the Metro B exit. What we didn’t know (we should have read the directions more carefully, though it did not specify that there were two exits - one exit at one level and another exit downstairs, where the Tiqet kiosk was located). Had we taken the metro, we would have arrived at the correct place but our hotel being nearby, we had walked and ended up at the other exit. When someone finally told us that there was another exit, the tour had departed !
There was an unguided tour departing and the guide suggested we take that as otherwise we would forfeit our tickets. We did - this merely entitles one to skip the queue for tickets and it was up to oneself to tour the Colleseum. (No map or information provided !!) Inside the Colleseum, we saw what was most likely our tour. I asked the guide if we were on her list. She ignored my question. Persisting, she said she was not taking a guided tour, which was untrue, otherwise she would have left the group at the entrance as our guide had done! She wore such a bored expression, I’d wager that we didn’t miss much!
After an hour and a half we were to quit the colosseum and await another guide at Constantine’s Arch to help us skip the queue once again into Palatinate Hill and Roman Forum site. You would really want to have your wits about you taking these tours. Later, a call to head office to complain elicited no joy! Beware!
There are three accessible levels - we were to have access to the lowest level but having ‘missed’ our tour we accessed only the two upper levels. However, the lower level, the arena, which I thought to be flat was in fact being excavated further down to another level!
It is impressive from the interior. The construction commenced in 72AD and completed in 80AD. The brick was once covered in marble. It was thought capable of holding 50,000 spectators seated in line with their class
The popes, emperors and aristocracy pillaged marble from the Colleseum to build none other than St Peters and their palaces.!
The papacy somewhat redeemed itself when a cross was erected to erroneously commemorate the martyrdom of thousands of Christians supposedly killed in the Amphitheatre, declared the area a sacred place and thus saved it from further demolition!!! No Christians were ever killed there !!!
In the 1930s, it was again used as propaganda when:
Meeting at Constantine’s Arch, we again skipped the queue - not having fancied standing out in 30 + degrees for any length of time
We walked around the Hill . This is the supposed site of Romelus and Remus, founders of Rome suckled by the she - wolf.
We walked the perimeter of Palatinate Hill where all the wealthy of the time lived in its fashionable environs such as Cicero (those of us who read Latin remember our jousts with his writings) and Mark Anthony. From 36BC, it became home to the emperors who built most lavish palaces!
This led to the Forum where the remnants of temples, basilicas and public squares.
After an exhausting three hours in the midday sun, we returned to our hotel for a well earned rest!!
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