Photos by Gertrude Meyer on May 2, 2005.
Rome's Greatest Amphitheater, the Colosseum
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The amphitheather was commissioned by the Emperor Vespasian in AD 72 on the marshy site of a lake in the grounds of Nero's palace, the Domus Aurea. It was built to a practical design, with 80 arched entrances allowing easy access for 55,000 spectators. But it was also a building of great beauty. Despite being damaged by neglect and theft, it remains a majestic sight.
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Crowds are attracted to this Roman Attraction.
Materials were stolen from the structure throughout the Middle Ages. When they finally decided to try to protect it, they installed the angled walls on the ends of what remained.
The picture at the top of the page shows that most of the two outer walls supporting the tunnels and stairways giving access to the seating are gone.
Actually, we didn't arrive at the Colosseum from the Forum as the Meyers did. For whatever their reasons, our guides skipped the tour of the Forum, which left me not a little dissatisfied. We were most thankful to be privileged to have the Meyer photo collection of that site.
We arrived by bus, parked nearby, and crossed some streets to get there.
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