The Colosseum, or Flavian Amphitheater. When I thought of Rome from half a world away, the Colloseum came singularly to mind. But the amazing thing we found of Rome is it’s richness of piazzas, parks, and past glories, all within an eminently walkable, if not somewhat shopworn, city. The Colosseum in the warm afternoon sun, with the Arch of Constantine on its doorstep. Arch of Constantine. The last great monument erected by Imperial Rome, in 315 AD. It was pretty much downhill after that, I guess, especially with Constantine taking his toys to Byzantium. The excavated hypogeum, beneath the arena floor, added by Emperor Domitian for animals, slaves, and machinery. Goal-post view of the arena, from the level at which the wealthier citizens of Rome would have watched events — above the senators, patricians, and equite class; below the poorer plebes and plebeian women. The Colosseum seen for the upper slopes of the Palantine Hill, standing where emperors lived and stood.
