Rome - The Colosseum

When in Rome, make sure you visit the Colosseum, one of the most important and impressive historical sites of the city.

To get there, either walk from the hotel to the Colosseum (about 20 minutes), or take the Metro from Plaza Barberini to the "Colosseum" Metro stop or you can also ride the "get-on-get-off tour bus" and get off at the Colosseum (this is just one of many stops of this tour bus around Rome's historical sites). By the way, these buses run every 20 minutes and cost 15 Euros for 24 hours.

For a bit of history on The Colosseum before you go, it was built around AD80 in the old grounds of Nero's private Domus Area and it was originally called The Flavian Amphitheatre. It is a huge structure, meant to seat more than 50 thousand spectators at a time and it was where gladiator fights and wild animal shows took place for free, sponsored by the emperor for the amusement of the public. Some of these shows, or "games" lasted for more than one hundred consecutive days, during which thousands of gladiators and animals were killed, purely for entertainment.

To get in to the Colosseum, you'll have to cough up 15 euros and guided tours are available for an extra fee. The Summer schedule of operation is: from 9am to sunset, daily; In the winter, from 9am to 4:30 pm. You can view the Colosseum from the street quite well if you don't wish to spend the 15 Euros. This sight is particularly spectacular at night, when it's all lit by flood lights.

Here are some fantastic photos of the Colosseum from Josie-Lim Mcauliffe's (dcasw) recent trip to Rome.

Do you have any favorite places in Rome? Share them with us for publication, by submitting them to postcards@me.com