Colosseum

Ancient Rome's 50,000-seat amphitheatre, the largest ever built

Address Piazza del Colosseo 1, 00184 Rome
Admission €16–€22; combined ticket with Roman Forum and Palatine Hill; booking essential
Opening Hours Daily from 09:00; closing varies by season (17:00–19:30)
Website www.colosseo.it

Rome's defining ancient monument, a 2,000-year-old amphitheatre that once held 50,000–80,000 spectators for gladiatorial games, animal hunts, and public spectacles. Construction began under Emperor Vespasian around AD 70 and was completed by his son Titus in AD 80. Four storeys of arches in travertine and tufa, the largest amphitheatre ever built — its engineering has influenced stadium design ever since.

Book tickets online in advance; walk-in queues can stretch for hours in high season. The combined ticket includes the Roman Forum and Palatine Hill and is valid for two days — use it.

48 Hours in Rome 3 Days in Rome things to do monument theatre monti
A story
The Colosseum was built on the site of an artificial lake in Nero's private Domus Aurea gardens — Vespasian deliberately returned the land to the people as a political statement. On opening day in AD 80, the games lasted 100 days and killed 5,000 animals. The distinctive holes visible across the structure mark where iron clamps were removed in the Middle Ages and melted down for weapons.