Colosseum After Dark with Arena Access

 

Thousands crowd the Colosseum each day, but few visit inside by night. Not only will you avoid the crowds, but you’ll also set foot on the arena floor, explore the atmospheric underground area in a small group of 25 with your expert English-speaking guide who will show Rome in a new light. Highlights - See Rome’s top spot at its most peaceful and most atmospheric - Explore the Colosseum’s most thrilling areas, the arena floor where gladiators fought and the underground levels where the “backstage” systems can still be seen From the moment you meet your guide at Trajan’s stunning Column to when you leave the Colosseum 2 hours later, you’ll see the monuments of the city in a different light. With the sun taking a break this is the perfect time to catch the best views of the area where Ancient Rome was born. As you make your way towards the looming Colosseum your guide will point out the Forums built by the Caesars and the Temple of the Vestal Virgins still standing after thousands of years. At any time of the day, the Colosseum is awe-inspiring, but entering it in darkness and with the crowds gone, it has a mysterious air. Standing on the arena floor looking up at the empty stands that held 80,000 Romans you’ll understand what it was must have been like for a gladiator the night before they were due to fight. As you look at the towering rings of stands around you, your guide will give you the background about why the Colosseum was built and what purpose it served. If that was not enough, you’ll also go deep into the Colosseum Underground area that was off-limits to ordinary citizens. In this recently excavated hidden world you’ll see the sophisticated mechanisms that created epic spectacles and entertained 80,000 Romans at a time. You’ll walk through channels where slaves, gladiators and wild animals were carefully manoeuvred up elevators to surprise the crowds and ramp up excitement to a fever pitch. By the time night has fallen and the restaurants of nearby Monti are filling up, you’ll be leaving the Colosseum after experiencing it in a way that most visitors never imagine. Languages English