The Colosseum, Forum, and Palatine Hill

A pretty full day touring the colosseum, forum, and Palatine Hill.

We got tickets for the attic tour, which turned out to be an incredible way to experience the amphitheater. Normal tours access the first and second levels but the attic tour goes up to the third and fourth levels by private elevator. Bonus, there were only about 6 other people on the entire level!

The attic, I think, also provides a better feel for how it must have really been to access the seats in the colosseum because it had fully enclosed passages and rebuild steps that mirror the original design.

After lunch, we toured the archaeological park that contains the Roman Forum and a bunch of other buildings. It also includes Palatine Hill, which had the remnants of Caligula’s home and a great view over the forum. The site is vast and awe inspiring.

The remains of the temple of Venus have a short video showing a reconstruction of the building overlayed on the current site and the scale is mind boggling.

In Rome, I think today was the highlight of our Roman sightseeing.Read more