Rome, Italy, Europe

The Colosseum in the city of Rome, Italy is huge. Much too big to get it all in one picture, especially if you want to have no tourists disturbing the view.

The Arco di Constantino near the Colosseum in the city of Rome, Italy. It is a triumphal arch dedicated to the emperor Constantine the Great. The arch was commissioned by the Roman Senate to commemorate Constantine's victory over Maxentius at the Battle of Milvian Bridge in AD 312. Situated between the Colosseum and the Palatine Hill, the arch spans the Via Triumphalis, the route taken by victorious military leaders when they entered the city in a triumphal procession.

Pretty overview of the Colosseum in the city of Rome, Italy. This is actually more or less the back side as there were way too many people gathering at the main entrance to get a decent picture.

Arches, tunnels and stairs lead to the seats in the Colosseum in the city of Rome, Italy. Since the games were public spectacles, entrance was free. However, people needed tickets. The entry tickets told them which entrance to use and where to sit. Each arched entrance had a number carved above it. The number was matched to the entry ticket. The design of Colosseum was so clever that fifty thousand hurrying people could enter, show their entry tickets, and be seated in 15 minutes.

The seating area for women, plebs and slaves in the Colosseum in the city of Rome, Italy. Separated from the area for the Emperor, the Senators, Vestal Virgins and the equites, it was divided in terraces and had numbered sections. The highest sections were for the lowest class of people and slaves.

The dungeons in the Colosseum in the city of Rome, Italy. Right under the arena, where the gladiators used to fight, a complex of dungeons worked as a backstage for the matches. The Colosseum’s dungeons is organized with a central corridor and some minors, where gladiators got ready for the combats and romans used a sort of old lift to create some special effects. Infact, the animals were brought to the arena floor thanks to this kind of lift, drove by many people.

Looking inside the maze of corridors underneath the arena floor in the Colosseum in the city of Rome, Italy. It must have been hard to find one's way there.

Walking on Via Sacra in Forum Romanum, part of the city of Rome in Italy. There is so much ancient history here that it's hard to see it all.

The Via Sacra was the main street of ancient Rome, leading from the top of the Capitoline Hill, through some of the most important religious sites of the Forum (where it is the widest street), to the Colosseum. The road was part of the traditional route of the Roman Triumph that began on the outskirts of the city and proceeded through the Roman Forum. Later it was paved. During the reign of Nero, it was lined with colonnades.

Entrance to the church of San Lorenzo di Miranda in Forum Romanum, part of the city of Rome in Italy.

The Temple of Antoninus and Faustina is an ancient Roman temple in Rome, which was later converted into a Roman Catholic church, the Chiesa di San Lorenzo in Miranda or simply "San Lorenzo in Miranda".

Looking at the ruins of Basilica Aemilia in Forum Romanum in the city of Rome, Italy. It was a civil basilica in the Roman Forum. Today only the plan and some rebuilt elements can be seen. The basilica was 100 meters long and about 30 meters wide. Along the sides were two orders of 16 arches, and it was accessed through one of three entrances.

Arrived at the Trevi fountain (Fontana di Trevi) in the city of Rome, Italy. It was crazy busy with people everywhere but I did manage to get close enough to get this lovely view.

The famous Trevi fountain (Fontana di Trevi) in the city of Rome, Italy. The amount of tourists crawling around this fountain is crazy. It's a miracle I got to make a picture without any of them on it.

The Fontana del Pantheon in the city of Rome, Italy. It is located in the Piazza della Rotonda, Rome, in front of the Roman Pantheon.

Fontana del Fiumi on the Piazza Navona in the city of Rome, Italy. It was quite hard to get a decent picture of this lovely fountain given the many tourists around.

The things you find when strolling around in some of the backstreets in the city of Rome, Italy. Apparently it's OK to be a door ;-)

Great view of Castel Sant'Angelo in the city of Rome, Italy. The castle is also known as the Mausoleum of Hadrian and is a towering rotunda (cylindrical building) in Parco Adriano. It was initially commissioned by the Roman Emperor Hadrian as a mausoleum for himself and his family. The popes later used the building as a fortress and castle, and is now a museum. The structure was once the tallest building in Rome.

Lovely view through one of the arches of the Ponte Sant'Angelo in the city of Rome, Italy. The St. Peter basilica in the Vatican can be seen in the distance.

The Tiber river as seen from Ponte Sant'Angelo in the city of Rome, Italy. Our destination was the Vatican and the St. Peter basilica can be seen in the distance.

Great view over the Tiber river in the city of Rome, Italy from the Ponte Sant'Angelo. We passed the Sant'Angelo castle, but went for the so-called cheap view where we just admired it from the outside.