Colosseum, Palatine Hill & Roman Forums Audio Guide

Start outside the Colosseum, next to the metro station, and take in the glory of this penominal structure! Get a closer look at the Colosseum’s architecture, the ground floor columns were done in the Tuscan style, a Roman variation on the austere Greek Doric style. Then the second floor featured slightly more elaborate Ionic columns and the third floor had a more intricate and decorated Corinthian style. Learn about the use of arches, concretes and columns. Learn about the ancient origins of the Colosseum. When the Colosseum did open, it was named the Flavian Amphitheatre. However, back then, people nicknamed Nero’s statue the Colossus due to its colossal size. Over time, that nickname eventually became attached to the Amphitheatre, and the Flavian Amphitheatre became known as The Colosseum!

Head into the ancient structure and imagine the sound of fifty thousand people cheering with joy, shouting for blood and delighting in animals never seen in Rome before. The emperor took up a very visible and prominent position which was located on the podium at the centre of the arena on the north side. Get an amazing view of the Colosseum’s structure and hear about ancient art and graffiti. The Colosseum was covered in marble depicting hunting scenes, vegetation carvings and wild animals. At the top of the Colosseum, great pillars stood tall and one of them was even found to depict the head of the Gorgon Medusa.

Enjoy a day at the games and hear what an event at the Colosseum would have been like. Learn how Gladiators would have been armed according to their categories which included Murmillo, Thraxes, Retiarius and. The emperor Commodus maybe even fought in the arena, styling himself after the Greek hero Hercules. Learn about the four staged ship battles, known as naumachia occurred in Ancient Rome, but only two were inside the Colosseum. Emperor Titus ordered the new Colosseum to be flooded and used special flat-bottomed ships during the battle to accommodate for the shallow water. The event replicated the battle between Athens and Syracuse and there was even an artificial island made in the middle of the arena, where the sailors landed and continued the fights.

Visit the Vestal balcony, where the Vestal Virgins would have watched the games from. These Priestesses had to serve until 40, after which they are released and their life begins. While serving, they performed a variety of religious tasks and rituals which included taking part in at least nine separate public ceremonies throughout the year. Finish the tour at a Christian Shrine and discover the legacy of Rome’s Colosseum. Today the Colosseum has actually become a symbol against capital punishment and a gesture of goodwill. Despite all the blood and death that occurred here back in Ancient Rome, it’s now a symbol of peace.

Begin the tour next to the Arch of Titus, an ancient relic covered in art that are thousands of years old. Learn about the origins of Rome with the story of Romulus and Remus, two brothers who had been suckled and raised by a she wolf, decided to build a city on the glorious hills by the river Tiber.

Visit the Basilica of Maxentius and Constantine. While Basilicas may have had religious elements to them, they weren’t temples and were actually mostly political and economic spaces.

Head to the Julia Basilica, a structure that started with Caesar in the 1st century BC but it was burned down and rebuilt multiple times. Hear the famous story of Julius Caesar’s assasination at the hands of Brutus.

Visit the Temple of Vesta, composed of Greek elements of architecture, like the Corinthian columns and marble. Vesta was a patron goddess of health and a building in this spot would have been in the Forum from the early days of the republic. If her flame went out, it was believed that Vesta had revoked her protection and the city would become vulnerable.

Finish the tour overlooking Palatine Hill and take in the view of all the spots we have visited today with the modern city of Rome in all its glory sitting behind. Start the last part of this combo tour with a fantastic view of Palatine Hill. With the dawning of the Imperial age, the emperors came and started to build lavish Palaces on this plateau.

Head into Farnese Gardens, created by Cardinal Allesandro Farnese in 1550 and was one of the first private botanical gardens in the world. Touch on Renaissance culture and how it was connected to ancient Roman history.

Discover the Temple of Cybele, a mother goddess who sat alongside the maternal deities of Rhea and Demeter. Learn about how Ancient Mediterianian religion was complex. Key deities were replicated with regional differences, often when Greeks find other gods they equate them with their own and thus they end up merging.

Marvel at the detailed frescoes on the side of the House of Augustus and Livia. Beneath it archeologists have discovered what they believe to be the Lupercal, the cave in which Romulus and Remus were thought to have been raised, all the way back around 753BC.

Visit Domus Flavia, a Flavian palace built by the last of the Flavian’s Domitian. It would have truly been a marvel since Rabirius, Emperor Domitian’s appointed architect, was the one overseeing its construction.

Founded in the 1800s, destroyed and rebuilt, the Palatine Museum now houses collections directly related to Palatine Hill. The museum traces objects from the earliest occupations of the Palatine, which go back thousands of years to the 7th and 9th BCs. We would absolutely recommend exploring room 5 to check out the Apollo Citadero, a stunning fresco. Then head to the Stadium of Domitian, an area that could have been used for horse riding, private foot races and wrestling.

After visiting the Temple of Apollo, head down to the Bath’s of Severus and explore the remnants of one of Rome's greatest Bath Houses. For Romans, public bath houses were a huge part of communal life. You would meet friends, close business deals and chat with strangers.

Finish the tour at the Circus Maximus, a hippodrome that would have primarily been for chariot races. This structure dates back to the 1st Century AD. Its estimated 150,000 fans could have attended, making it the largest stadium of ancient Rome, at a whopping 621 by 118 meters. It would have been incredible to visit back in Ancient Rome!