Emperor Vespasian began construction on the Colosseum, originally known as the Amphitheatrum Flavium, around 72 A.D. As of 2007, the Colosseum was regarded as one of the world’s seven wonders. The Colosseum took eight years to build and was paid for with spoils of war from Jerusalem. Emperor Titus would inaugurate the Colosseum with a 100-day celebration of games and exhibitions. During the first 100 days of Emperor Titus’ reign, nearly 2,000 gladiators were killed. The Colosseum’s exhibitions would include fights with exotic animals, executions of prisoners, and gladiator battles. Emperor Domitian, Titus’ successor, would later expand the Colosseum by adding another story and more spaces beneath the Colosseum. With a span of 190 meters by 155 meters and a capacity of 50,000 spectators, this made the Colosseum the largest amphitheater in Roman history.

The Colosseum was an active site of entertainment for over 400 years, until the struggles of the Western Roman Empire and the gradual change in the public’s perception of gladiator games in the sixth century A.D.

The Colosseum has withstood numerous natural disasters, destruction, and looting over the centuries. Furthermore, structural stones from the Colosseum were used to construct other structures in Rome, including the Cathedral of St. Peter, Palazzo Venezia, and defensive line barricades along the Tiber River. It wasn’t until the 18th century that many Catholic popes sought to preserve the Colosseum as a sacred Christian site. It has been theorized that early Christians were martyred within the walls of the Colosseum. Every Good Friday, the Pope leads the Way of the Cross procession through the Colosseum to commemorate the early Christians who died in the Colosseum’s arena.

The Colosseum is the most visited tourist attraction in Rome. I strongly advise you to purchase your tickets early in the planning stages of your trip. We were fortunate to be able to obtain tickets to the Colosseum because we were waiting to purchase tickets based on the weather during our trip. We still purchased them from their website, but we had to rearrange our plans based on the tours we planned to take in Rome. I recommend taking a tour that includes a skip the line pass! It came in handy even during our off-season visit to Rome!

We purchased Colosseum, Roman Forum, and Palantine Hill tickets. If you take your time, you can see the Roman Forum and Palantine Hill in a few hours, and the Colosseum in less than two hours.

During our trip planning, I planned various photo locations around the Colosseum. I began researching the area around the Colosseum on the internet and various social media sites. I spent a lot of time planning this trip from home! Fortunately, I went to the Colosseum the first morning I arrived in Rome; otherwise, I would not have gotten some of my Colosseum photographs!

Since the 1990s, work on renovating the Colosseum has been ongoing. During our visit, they began to place tents and other construction equipment in the areas I wanted to photograph! They are also constructing an above-ground tram system in the Colosseum area. A word of advice: if you want to photograph the Colosseum in the near future, be prepared to be flexible!

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