Small Group Colosseum Experience: Roman Forum + Palatine Hill

What would be a visit to Rome without stepping inside the Colosseum? We will approach the majestic amphitheater as tens of thousands of Romans had after its inauguration 2,000 or so years ago! Roman Forum Located in the valley that connects the Capitoline and Palatine Hills, the Forum transformed from a marshy plot of land to the administrative, political, and economic center of Ancient Rome. In addition, the Forum was the epicenter of the city’s social life, the place where citizens and slaves would cross paths with patricians and senators and attend events of public interest. A collection of beautiful and majestic ruins of buildings representing different ages in the life of the city, the Roman Forum is today one of the most important archaeological sites in the world. Our guided Colosseum tour through the remains provides valuable insights into the everyday life of Roman citizens and represents the perfect way of getting to know more about the figures that shaped the history of the Ancient World. Palatine Hill Inhabited since 1000 BC, the Palatine Hill is the most ancient part of the city. A visit to the Palatine, an open-air museum situated nearby the Forum, will allow you to gain important insights into the development of the city of Rome, from the legends of its foundation, to how it became the center of one of the most powerful empires of the Ancient World. According to Roman mythology, the Palatine Hill is where the she-wolf Lupa adopted and cared for the twins who would later found Rome, Remus and Romulus. During the city’s most glorious days, throughout the Republican period and in the time of the Empire, several of the most affluent Romans, as well as Emperors Augustus, Tiberius and Domitian, lived on the Hill in magnificent palaces whose remains can still be seen today. Colosseum “It is the most beautiful of ruins; there breathes all the majesty of ancient Rome,” wrote 19th century French writer Stendhal after visiting the Colosseum. Not much has changed since then, in terms of the Colosseum’s power of attraction: its imposing presence and the remarkable endurance in the face of time are as impressive as the stories of cruel gladiator games and elaborate mock sea battles it hosted. Built almost 2000 years ago by the Flavian emperors (started in 70 AD under Vespasian and completed by Titus in 80 AD), the Colosseum held a very important social role. It enabled everyone, regardless of status, to participate in public celebrations, a right of every Roman citizen. As such, the arena served a more complex role than first meets the eye, as it provided the powerful men of the day with not just a venue for mass entertainment, but also the means to influence and measure the mood of the people. In the words of 1st century Roman poet Juvenal, the crowds could be swayed in favor of one leader or another by means of “bread and circuses”(panem et circenses, in Latin). Today, the arena that could hold up to 80,000 spectators is one of the world’s most visited monuments and, a detail of interest for cat lovers, currently hosts about 200 feline occupants.