The Colosseum gets its name from the statue of a colossus that once stood near its entrance. The colossus has long since decayed to dust, but the huge amphitheatre, which is part of the Forum Romanum, still stands, and a lot of it has remained largely intact.
A visit to the Colosseum is certainly worth it. I must confess that my prior knowledge of the construction and its history was somewhat limited and relied heavily on the Gladiator film, which featured Russell Crowe strutting around, showing off his chest hair and being perhaps just a tad overly dramatic. Fortunately, as you enter the Colosseum, there is an interesting exhibition which tells you a lot about the histroy of the building and its purpose through history.
Just a word of warning though: there isn’t really all that much shade inside the Colosseum, so if you’re visting in the summer, like me, make sure to take a hat and use a powerful sun screen.
Tickets to the Colosseum and the Forum Romanum can be purchased online. Entry to the Colosseum is for a specific time slot, and the guards will only give you twenty minutes leeway to enter. For the Forum Romanum however, you do not need to have a specific time slot.
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