The Colosseum

Having a gymnastics background can be all fun and games until you visit a destination such as the Colosseum. I couldn’t help myself but to take a photo of me doing a handstand there and I don’t regret doing it one bit. Except for when I was actually getting it taken, that was a little nerve racking. But this beautiful amphitheater is located right in the heart of Rome, Italy and it is kind of hard to miss since it is so massive. While inside my tour group was able to book us a guide that walked us around and told us all of the back story behind it. I don’t think I would have gained so much from this visit if I hadn’t done the tour and so I recommend it if you are able to do so to book a guide to take you around. But, the price to actually get inside was not crazy expensive either with it being 12 euros for adults, and if you are a citizen of Europe then there is also a student discount for ages 18-25 that allow them to get in for even cheaper. You are allowed to spend as much time inside as you want and it might take you a little bit to get around since it is so big. A lot of the main areas and walking around the track part on the inside can be extremely crowded, but once you get out onto the balcony’s or in the middle section you aren’t cramped at all. As you can see from the two photos above no one is really in my pictures since everyone really has their own spots to go too. Since there are so many nooks and crannies I wouldn’t be surprised if I even missed a few spots while I was walking around because after a while you forget which doors you went through verse the ones you didn’t. The only negative experience I had throughout this excursion was the fact that it was under construction on certain parts when I went, so I didn’t get the full look at it since there were gates all around the outside and some equipment as well. It can get quite hot when walking around the Colosseum since there really are not any places with cover besides the inside. I would recommend bring lots of water, and just be prepared to take your time and don’t feel like you have to rush around like the crowd of people might make you think. The only parts that were off limits to visitors were the chambers located below the main level. I wasn’t able to see anyone even getting private tours of it while I was there, but it was explained to us that those tunnels were where they kept the gladiators before their fights and how they entered the arena when it was their turn. Also, to my surprise there weren’t any people dressed up as gladiators outside like a lot of people told me to look out for and get photos with. I think this may have been a tourist aspect years ago, but it seems they have recently stopped it. Overall, the Colosseum is a must to visit if you are able to go to Rome. Whether you go during the day or at night, which I would recommend doing both, it will be nothing short of amazing. Taking the tour like I did during the day can be boring for little children though if they don’t have the attention span of standing there for a few hours listening to people talk about history. But even if you don’t take the tour I saw a lot of young children just walking around with their parents during the day. Lastly, if you are able to visit the colosseum at night they do light it up and we went right at sundown so the sunset mixed with that view was incredible and you can’t beat going to see it.