The business card of Ancient Rome. Sights of Rome - Colosseum

To come to the Eternal City for one or two days is a crime. Mostly against yourself. For the sights in Rome are so numerous that already for lunch the tourist's brain simply refuses to accept new information. That about a visit to the Italian capital there is some kind of distinct memory, and not a sensation of a merry holiday with carousels, we advise you to break excursions into three time periods:

• Ancient Rome;
• The Middle Ages and the Renaissance;
• Baroque and classicism.

By the way, the city department of tourism also finds it convenient. That's why he issues special thematic tickets. Having bought such a "pass", equipped with an electronic chip, you can not only save on public transport. Tours in Rome also take less time, because you do not have to stand in lines to each museum separately. In this article we will focus on the sights of the ancient city. Although during walks from some brown sandstone ruins to others nothing will prevent you from entering the baroque church of the Holy Trinity or climbing the dome of St. Peter's Basilica in the Vatican.

How much are the "antique" tickets

Queues (especially in the summer season and during the holidays) - the main scourge of Rome. An untrained tourist risks standing for several hours under the scorching sun, and as a result, he never sees the Colosseum. But this is - a visiting card of Ancient Rome! About the Coliseum, we will describe below. In the meantime, give a couple of practical tips on how to get acquainted with the monuments of Rome of the ancient era.

If you plan to spend three days in the capital of Italy, the best option is to purchase a Roma Pass card. It costs twenty-five euros and lasts 3 days, starting with the first activation. With this card you can use in unlimited quantity by public transport and museums. In addition, the mobile phone owner Roma Pass will come SMS-ki with information about cultural events taking place at this time in the city. There is another option: a general ticket to the forum, the Colosseum and the Palatine. It costs twelve euros, and it lasts two days. Buy it better on the Roman forum - there are less queues.

Ancient sights

Rome was a huge city even in ancient times. If you set out to examine all the monuments of antiquity, then to find them you will help map of Rome with sights. In some hotels it is given to the guests free of charge. But you can buy it in one of the innumerable souvenir shops. What is included in the memoirs of the gray of the deep Eternal City?

Firstly, the Colosseum is the visiting card of Ancient Rome, then the Palatine, the Forum, the Temple of Romulus, the plains of Caracalla, the palaces of Tiberius, Flavius and Augustus, the arch of Constantine, the Pantheon and much more. Also worth seeing, though briefly, catacombs, in which the first Christians gathered for secret services. As an independent one-day excursion for the city, the guides recommend trips to Ostia Antica and Tivoli. In the latter are the Villa Adriana and the Palace of d'Este (both residences are included in the UNESCO List).

Palatine and the Forum

Although Rome is called the Eternal City, but still the place of its foundation is. This Palatine is another visiting card of Ancient Rome. The best view of it opens with the Capitol Museum. On the Palatine Hill, according to local legends, roasted by a she-wolf Romulus and laid his city. Between this height and the Capitol is an ancient Roman forum.

Here were the main temples and altars. This was also the main venue for public gatherings in Republican Rome. Until now, the altars of Vulcan and Saturn, the sanctuary of Vesta with the house of priestess-virgins, the source of Yuturn and the arch of Septimius Severus have been preserved. Later, during the period of the Empire, the forum was repeatedly updated. Thus, the column of Trajan, established in 113 AD, still adorns the city. Not far from the forum stands the huge basilica of Constantine and Maxentius.

Amphitheater Flaviev - visiting card of Ancient Rome

Contrary to popular belief, the Colosseum is not the oldest antique landmark of the Eternal City. But for sure she is the most recognizable! Photos of the Colosseum in Rome replicated in such numbers that now even a child knows that the arena is a symbol of the capital of Italy, like the Eiffel Tower - France, and Big Ben - Britain. The Flavian amphitheater is located - this is the official name of this structure - in a depression, between Palatine, Tseliev and Esquilene hills.

Previously, this place was a pond, adjacent to the Golden Palace of the Emperor Nero. It is surprising that a grand amphitheater with a capacity of more than fifty thousand people was built in just eight years. The first stone was laid in 72 year by the emperor from the Flavian Vespasian dynasty. By this step, the suppressor of the Jewish uprising tried to erase from the memory of the people the year of Nero's reign and at the same time be seduced by the Roman plebs. The Colosseum was built by one hundred thousand prisoners of war of the Jews. Eight years later, the arena was sanctified by his visit to the emperor Titus.

Place of merrymaking and executions

For a long time, the Flavian amphitheater was the place of amusement of the Roman plebs. It hosted gladiatorial battles, animal baiting, and even Naumakhii- naval battles. But when the throne heir of Titus Domitian arranged under the amphitheater basements, filling the arena with water became impossible. But the Roman plebs had a new tickling nerve spectacle: the execution of Christians.

In 217, the Coliseum was damaged in the fire, but was rebuilt by Alexander Sever. Emperor Philip celebrated in 248 in the arena a thousand years of Rome. When Christianity became the state religion, Pope Honorius forbade gladiatorial fights. But the bestial baiting was the favorite fun of the Roman rabble until the death of Theodoric.

As early as 1332, bullfights were organized here. In 1349 there was a powerful earthquake that brought down the southern part of the amphitheater, and the subsequent use of the stone for new buildings turned once a majestic structure into what is shown by the modern photo of the Colosseum in Rome.

The most interesting sight of the city

The largest fountain of Rome was built in the middle of the eighteenth century in Baroque style by the architect Michele Salvi. It adjoins the palace of Paulie. The facade of the palazzo and the Trevi Fountain (Italy) are now perceived as a single ensemble. This landmark of Rome is replete with allegorical figures.

As if from a niche the palazzo leaves on the chariot-shell Ocean. Tritons, hippopotamuses, nymphs are everywhere. But the famous Trevi fountain cinematography. In the film "Sweet Life" by Fellini, this place became the same main character as Marcello Mastroianni and Anita Ekberg. Added fame to the fountain and the belief: you throw a coin into the water - you will return to Rome again. Two coins - you will meet your beloved. Three - play a wedding with her. Four - you will be rich. Five - you can divorce. In general, for a week utilities remove from the fountain a hundred thousand euros.