WHERE?
The Colosseum is in Rome, Italy and very easy to get to. All taxi drivers know how to get there although don't expect that to be cheap. Especially if you have a pram as they charge extra in Italy for any luggage. There is a metro stop and bus stop right outside of the Colosseum and you can get an all day ticket for the metro to go anywhere in Rome for only 4 euros. The bargain is you can also use this all day ticket on the busses and trams. Unfortunately because the busses, metro and trams are usually very busy and it was a bank holiday weekend when we were there we opted for the more expensive taxi option. If I had been on my own without baby then I would have braved public transport but I didn't want to risk getting bumped about with Isabelle in my arms. I will warn you that the roads and driving in Rome are very aggressive and a little scary at times as everyone cuts everybody up and they are generally only bothered about themselves, NOTE: Always wear your seatbelt. It is located on marshy land between the Esquiline and Caelian Hills.

WHO?
My only worry about going to the Colosseum was that I had Isabelle in a pram and my dad who is disabled and thus uses a walking stick to get around. I imagined hundreds of stairs to climb to see it from all angles and I'm not sure they had disabled access laws in the year 70?? The Italians however have done a fine job in ensuring that anyone who wants to see this building can. There are specially installed elevators to take you up and down floors and all of the viewable parts of the Colosseum have ramps leading to and from them. I didn't use the lift as I have a slight fear of them anyway and the idea of using one in a building that has to use scaffolding to hold it up frankly scares the beejesus out of me. My dad did use the lift and was fine which is a great relief. Anyone can go for a cost of 10 euros though they didn't charge us for Isabelle which is nice. You can have a guided tour for 3 euros fifty cents or tour guides tout for your business outside of the Colosseum. We chose to go round on our own but after entering I can understand why the extra few euros would have made a difference. It is massive and it's hard to know where to start. Plus I could overhear another tour and it would have been nice to have been told about the history of the Colosseum as we walked round, oh well. Hindsight is a wonderful thing.

HISTORY
The construction of the Colosseum began in the reign of Emperor Vespasian.
The first permanent amphitheatre to be built in Rome it took over 8 years to build the Colosseum. Its size and grandeur along with its practical organization for producing spectacles and controlling the large crowds make it one of the greatest architectural pieces achieved by the Romans. There was enough seating for over 50,000 spectators and 80 entrances so that crowds could arrive and leave quickly. The colosseum is actually an ellipse and measures 188m by 156m which means that the base of the building covers around 6 acres of land. There are 80 walls built to support vast amounts of seating, vaults for passageways and stairs. There are three tiers and then above them what is classed as an attic tier which boasts large square windows in every alternate bay.

Pictures of Colosseum, Rome

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THE GAMES
The HUNT
Essentially this is exactly what it says on the tin. The beasts, ranging from elephants to lions were let out into the stadium, originally attached to chains but later set free amongst the arena and the Gladiators had to hunt them down and kill them or be killed. The walls separating the crowds from the beasts had to be built up and have rollers put on top of them to stop any animals climbing over and attacking the crowds.

AD BESTIAS
In this cruel and gruelling 'game' the condemned person/criminal would usually be tied to a pole and the beats be set free to maul them to their death.

The NAUMACHIAE
In this amazing reconstruction the Colosseum was flooded with water and naval battle scenes were re-enacted. Again the actors were generally criminals who were condemned to death and the scenes were usually of historical battles. The first Naumachiae was commissioned by Julius Caesar to celebrate his victory in Egypt. These shows were particularly expensive.

When I visited the Colosseum I was struck down with amazement by its vast structure and its sheer beauty as an archaeological piece of history. I am not a lover of archaeology and not a big traveller so for me to be so taken aback by something like this is brilliant. It has given me the travelling bug and I really want to travel around now and see more things like this in the world. If you're going to Italy then I would definitely recommend visiting this. In fact even if you're not planning a trip if you can afford a cheap break then a 2 hour flight and 20 minute taxi ride is well worth it to visit this. You can also see numerous other historical pieces in the same vicinity such as an old Roman town and a beautiful arch way covered in statues. All of the café's surrounding the Colosseum seemed pleasant, we stopped at a couple and had food at one and the food was beautiful, the service friendly and the drinks cold which is exactly what we wanted.