Colosseum
looking back at our visit to the colosseum
It’s been a very long time since we were in Rome. And when we are not travelling, we like to mentally and visually revisit places we have been. So this week, we pay a visit to the Colosseum. Italy was one of those places that we didn’t appreciate enough when we were there, so it is back on our list of countries to see all over again.
We remember lining up outside the Colosseum, then waiting to buy our tickets and then waiting some more for the guided tour to start. We felt like we were spectators entering a stadium to watch a football game….
Then the minute we lay our eyes on the inside of the Colosseum, we are transformed back thousands of years. We ignore what is really there, we cannot help but picture a stadium of roaring Romans. We can hear cheering and booing. We can see gladiators… well, we actually visualise Russell Crowe and his entourage from the movie *cringe that Hollywood has brainwashed us* 😉
Actually out of all of Rome’s iconic sites, the Colosseum is probably our favourite. How we would love to visit it again one day!
The Colosseum, as part of the Historic Centre of Rome,
was listed as a
UNESCO Heritage site in 1980.
To see the other UNESCO sites we have visited,
visit our unofficial bucket list
Have you been to the Colosseum? We’d love to hear your thoughts of it.
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love to roam in roma
Every city is slightly different to the next. But in the same token, every major city have similarities. In all major cities, we like to just walk and walk. We have on our radar what it is we want to see and do but the best way to feel the energy of the city is to roam. And that’s what we did in Rome.
So in our first day in Rome, we trekked to the Colosseum, the Roman Forum, Palatine Hill, Trevi Fountain, the Pantheon and the Spanish Steps. Roma is a-buzzing! People tell us crossing the roads in Rome is an ordeal, and it sure was. When crossing roads, we learnt very quickly, if we “latched” on behind a local, we would safely get across. And that worked every time!
Another day, we spent roaming in and around Vatican City and the Sistine Chapel. Lining up for the Sistine Chapel probably took up most of the day. In fact, when we left the gates of the Vatican, according to our map, we weren’t too far from the Sistine Chapel. So we headed in the general direction to find the tail of a queue of people. Ignorantly, we jumped on the end. Fortunately for us, it wasn’t a queue for the bathroom or a taxi, it was in fact the entrance queue, that ended up snaking for over 1 km we estimated. We turned at least 3 corners before we saw the entrance! Phew, it was a lucky gamble we took jumping inline. And it was worth the wait!
Classical Rome, you were full of surprises! Everything from all the variety of pastas we ate, to the street vendors, but most of all to the interesting pizzas that you serve! After a long day’s walk, we ordered a ham, mushroom, olive and egg pizza. And to our dismay and horror, this was what we were served….
What must Italians from Italy think when they see what Australians and Americans serve up as pizzas? Oh my! In all seriousness though, we are so pasta-ed out. Although, the food is divine here, we have eaten so much pasta: so much so that we cannot imagine eating it for months to come. Unlucky for us though as after our next stop, Malta, we are coming back for more of Southern Italy!
wise monkeys abroad 