The Roman COLOSSEUM is one of the most popular attractions in Rome. When I visited the Colosseum way back when, you could only visit the lower level but in 2017, the city opened it up so you could visit the top floors. As you can imagine, the popularity of the Colosseum means lines and lines of people. Skipping the lines can be avoided with The Roman Guy tour.
With the Roman Guy tour, we were able to gain exclusive access to the Roman Colosseum’s restricted top levels. And I did mention that we skipped all the lines to gain access, I only remind you because avoiding standing in the hot Rome sun with a whiny teenager or child is a must in my opinion.
What makes The Roman Guy tour so great is the group size is limited, so you can truly experience learning about the history of the Colosseum and enjoy spectacular views of the Eternal City, the Colosseum, and surrounding areas. On the day we went, there were 6 people on our tour. This makes it so easy to hear and ask questions of our tour guide, Flavia.
See the Colosseum Rome from the Top Levels with @TheRomanGuy Tour - Fun Facts and photo ops galore! @Italia #Rome #Colosseum Share on X
Our guide Flavia was so interesting and gave us all the fun facts. Now as a history buff, I was interested in what she was telling us about the history of the Colosseum but the true test is keeping a teenager interested.
And my daughter was definitely interested in the history of the Colosseum especially about the animals from all around the world that was brought in for the Romans to view and be hunted. And that there were also mock sea battles. Yes, they actually flooded the Colosseum to have sea battles. Again another sign of what an engineering marvel the Colosseum was.
This is the archway they brought the animals through to the Colosseum. From the photo, you can not really tell the width and height of the archway but it is huge enough to allow elephants to walk through!
Without a doubt, touring the upper levels of the Colosseum offers up the best photo ops of not only the Colosseum down below but the surrounding city areas.
This shows where we were allowed to visit during the tour. Such a difference from just going to the first level.
Arch of Constantine
Victor Emmanuel II Monument aka the Wedding Cake
The Vatican
Visiting the Colosseum would not be worth the climb to the fifth level without lots of selfies!
Fun Facts we learned:
- The Colosseum is also known as the Colosseo or the Flavian Amphitheatre. The amphitheater dates back to 70 – 80 AD.
- It had 80 entrances and every entrance a Roman Numeral atop the entrance so spectators could find their seat. It could seat 50,000 spectators.
- It took 8 years to build. Hard to believe that the engineering and materials made to make the Colosseum in 72 AD still stands today.
- The thumbs up and thumbs down symbol is a myth. It is likely that the symbol came from the thumb being up as they ran their hand across the jugular with the thumb up.
- Women attended events and were seated all the way on the fifth level basically the worst seats (aka “nosebleed seats”) in the Colosseum. Now, it’s the best place to take photos.
- There were mock sea battles and even public executions. I just thought there were gladiator fights, just shows you that shouldn’t get all your historical facts from movies.
- The Colosseum today, is the setting for the Pope for one of the Stations of the Cross during the Easter holiday.
Visiting The Ancient Roman Forum
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It goes without saying that if you are visiting Rome, you will want to explore the COLOSSEUM and you should see it for all its glory especially at the highest levels. And the bonus is having a guided tour of the Roman ruins adjacent to the Colosseum.
I highly recommend the Restricted Areas Belevedere Tour Roman Guy Tour for this a must-see attraction in Rome.
The Roman Guy has other Rome tours so definitely check them all out. I do regret not doing the Colosseum at night tour with The Roman Guy. Oh Well, next time.
ROMAN GUY DISCOUNT CODE
NYC SINGLE MOM readers will receive 5% off all group tours (not private), except Colosseum Underground Tour & Colosseum at Night Tour. Insert theNYCMom code at checkout for the code to apply the discount. And if you are going to France, there is a discount for you!!
Disclosure: NYC Single Mom was provided with comp tickets for the tour. Opinions are 100% my own. And my teen daughter gave it an A+.
Wow, that is fascinating bit of history. I’ve never been there but your post piqued my interest. Based on Hollywood movies I also thought it was just gladiator fights but there is so much to learn. Glad you got to enjoy it!
Oh wow…that is such a sweeping, glorious shot of the Colosseum. It’s beautiful! I think visiting sites like this is magical because you are stepping foot on the same grounds of famous (and infamous) figures and events in history. I cannot believe they flooded the Colosseum to have sea battles…amazing how civilizations of the past achieved what they wanted to. Pretty dress, by the way…
What a fascinating adventure you were able to have with your daughter! Thanks for sharing all the details, as well as the awesome photos. I always appreciate seeing pictures of places I likely will never get to visit, but a virtual tour like this is a treat. It is amazing that such architecture in the colosseum and other places was so well done that they still stand today.