The Colosseum is an ancient amphitheater that was built on a tremendous scale during the Roman Empire. It was infamous for the spectacles that would take place in its arena, which people would flock to seek out for entertainment. This iconic structure was well preserved over the years and is still a sight to be marveled at today.
The kind of Colosseum access visitors are giving themselves however, is limited in the potential of experiencing the site.
Just visiting the facade is not enough, nor is buying a standard ticket that lets you enter but then leaves you to your own devices.
There is also so much of the amphitheater to see that you might not be aware of! With its massive size it can be quite a daunting task to try and understand its layout, much less its stories.
This is why we encourage the Colosseum Full Experience– expertly guided tours that cover its nooks and crannies.
Colosseum full experience: The stands
The stands of the Colosseum refer to its seating tiers from where audiences would watch the events unfurling on the arena floor. The five floors visualized and embedded the social hierarchy of Roman society.
- The first ground floor which was closest to the arena was called the Podium. This is where the emperor, priests and Roman senators would be seated, giving them the best view of the activity.
- The second tier moving up was reserved for other noblemen such as knights and Equites.
- The third tier was for audiences of Roman citizens. Within this floor the upper middle and lower middle classes were also segmented.
- The Colosseum fourth and fifth floor were reserved women and the poor, and potentially also slaves and non-citizens.
This seating system was collectively designed by Roman architects and engineers. To accommodate its vast audience the seats were made at a steep angle for good views of the arena floor. However, the further up your seat placement was, the worse your view of the arena events would be, therefore depicting the power system in place.
The seats were made of concrete; some were later covered with marble. The elite on the lower levels had the most comfortable chairs.
The Colosseum was an open air stadium- it has no roof. A retractable awning called a Velarium was designed for it to shade the stands from the sun. The cloth-made velarium- which was not suitable for the event of rain- would cover only thirty percent of the roof. This is because the tall walls of the Colosseum also provided some shade. The awning would manually be moved as the placement of the sun would shift throughout the duration of the event.
Colosseum full experience: The arena floor
The Colosseum arena floor is where all the action took place!
It was a wooden, elliptical floor at the base of the stadium which stretched on to be six acres long. It was covered with sand in order to absorb bloodshed from the gladiator fights and animal hunts. This was also a way to reduce the smell of blood spilt, especially necessarily under the scorching Roman sun.
Although the original floor was lost through eventual damage the arena has been partially reconstructed to accommodate visitors.
Why is having Colosseum floor tickets such a win?
When you are on the arena floor as opposed to the stands, you will be at eye level with what the gladiators themselves would see when onstage. The overwhelming size of the Colosseum with its rising tiers filled with spectators would add to the internal unease and tremors of the fighters, who did not know if they would make it out of the arena that day.
Accessing the Colosseum arena floor will surely flood your body and mind with the feeling of adrenaline that these men would be pulsating with at this iconic monument in Ancient Rome.
Keep your eye out for some very special events that occasionally take place at the Colosseum, such as music concerts, operas and exhibitions. Recently a multimedia installation took place in the underground of the amphitheater.
Colosseum full experience: The underground
The Hypogeum- as the underground of the Colosseum is called- is a network of tunnels and rooms hidden beneath the arena floor. It was a very multi-functional space, used as gladiator dressing rooms as well as storage for props (shrubs, rocks, artificial trees, temporary wooden building structures) and for animals (lions, tigers, bears and more).
The underground also had elevators and trapdoors which would be employed for surprise entrances of different elements onto the arena floor. The ancient Romans really knew how to devise a spectacle!
Imagine the kind of mystery you would be engulfed in through a Colosseum underground full experience ticket. It will put you in the shoes of the gladiators once again, as they prepare for their dazzling show, which for them meant putting their lives on the line.
Colosseum full experience: The attic
Usually visitors are only given standard access to the 1st and 2nd floors of the Colosseum.
Did you know that some guided tours allow you to visit its attic?
This area is made up of the aforementioned 4th and 5th floor which were usually reserved for women and the poor.
Although the views of the arena floor were nowhere close to dazzling, these levels provide a breathtaking panorama of the inside of the Colosseum, the Palatine hill and the Arch of Constantine.
The attic can only be accessed through a special glass elevator. Once you reach the top floor you can find fragments of ancient activity there, such as scrawled signage by the spectators onto the travertine stone.
Are Colosseum full experience tickets worth it?
Any ‘full experience’ Colosseum ticket is exponentially better than a standard entrance ticket. If you want a truly immersive and detailed experience, opt for exploring the spaces of the amphitheater in greater depth.
You can only imagine what a difference various viewpoints of the Colosseum make in your understanding of its renowned activities. Accessing restricted areas of the stadium lend an air of intrigue to these stories of the past.
Even if masses of people come to Rome to see the Colosseum, most of them will not have the same insider look as you if you choose the full experience.
Walks Inside Rome offers a myriad of Colosseum tours, including ‘full experiences’ of particular portions such as the underground or the arena. We persuade you to book tickets in advance for an unforgettable experience.
