I am still trying to sort out what we really want to see/do for sure on our one day in Rome. There has been a mild undercurrent in our home conversations that perhaps the Colosseum, famed as it is, is possibly best left to just see from the outside, if favour of making the most of the day/time we have to take in a variety of sights and experiences.

I have been advised that a nice view of the Forum can be had from the Capitol hill, which would also suffice, if I can make the day stretch and fit in a broad variety of "tastes" during our day there (figurative and literal "tastes" that is :-)

Thoughts?

I love the inside of the Colosseum. There is something about climbing the actual steps to the upper levels, knowing you are climbing the same steps the Ancient Romans did. I think it truly is something special.

Sharon J

As beautiful as the outside view is, there is really nothing like being inside and getting a 'real feeling' for it.

I have been inside twice in four years and it still amazes me.

Elly

Lorraine,
Go inside! For goodness' sake, don't miss this opportunity to be a part of this historical structure.
There is a gorgeous display gallery on one level, full of incredible artifacts, frescoes and sculptures. There's nothing like entering the Colosseum through the entryway to the amphitheatre...and thinking about the people who were forced to walk those same paths centuries ago. Here are the first 2 pages of my photo album of the Colosseum...enjoy!

Then, stop for lunch or dinner at Le Naumachie at via Celimontana, 7. Here's a mini review from my posts on my thread from Rome...

"Another memorable meal at Le Naumachie! This has got to be one of the best restaurants I've eaten at in ages! It is located at via Celimontana, 7...a block or so up from the Colosseum. The owners, Alfredo and Roberto Micheli, have created a great place to eat combined with staff who are absolutely wonderful. The food is excellent, the ambience is perfect and the prices are simply amazing! Here's an example...
Bruschetta Pomodore €1.50
Ravioli to die for €6.50
Dolci to die for €4.00
1/2 L vino del casa €4.00
Grand total €16.00...truly, that's all it costs.
Go there, try it, you'll love it, I guarantee!"
Brenda

For me the most moving part is looking down into the small below ground cells where you realize that both people and animals were kept while they listened to the roar of the crowd above each time another of their species was slaughtered. And all they could do is just await their turn.

Lorraine, I have to differ with the posters above, considering that you have only one day in Rome. But maybe I'm prejudiced because I didn't see the inside of the Colosseum until my 3rd trip to Rome.

In the early 1960s, when I spent the summer in Rome as a teenager, the Colosseum was home to an incredible collection of territorial stray cats who made their presence known in no uncertain terms, so one actually felt (especially at night) that it was still inhabited. Somehow that was almost lively as the ghosts we summon up now. They may not have been Christians, but they had had other relatives there...

Now the cats are lovingly cared for at Largo Argentina. The next time I went to Rome the Presence of the Colosseum itself haunted me with the aid of its dramatic illumination, but being in the city for only four days I did not join a tour.

A few years ago I stayed almost within sight of the Colosseum. It became my neighborhood, and one of the first things I did was to take a tour of the Colosseum and Forum. It was a memorable experience, and much the better for the inside information offered by 3 Milennia Tour Guide Daphne and the many historical novels I had read by that time.

Still, as much dimension as it added to my sense of the Colosseum (and I agree with Deborah about the intensity of seeing the small cells and entry paths), I don't think it added so much to my sense of Rome that I would spend several hours of my only day there. If you've seen 'Gladiator" you already have enough of an idea of it to let your imagination work from the outside.

On the other hand, I think walking through the Forum does not take very long (depending on how much you try to identify objectively and subjectively), is to me wonderfully rewarding no matter how many times I do it, and still gets you from one part of the city to another! Not sure how this works out with the new entry rules, though. And the view from the Campidoglio is not to be sneezed at in or out of a pinch.

If you're short on time, I think you could skip going into the Colosseum. You won't be able to do everything.. and since you are coming in from Palestrina you effectively will have from about 10:00AM to 4:00PM to visit places. Six to eight hours is maybe enough time to briefly get a flavor of ancient Rome by touring the forum briefly and then get a couple of glimpses of Rennaissance Rome. On a one day trip, I would walk by the outside of the Colosseum.

Bill

I'll add my vote for the inside. I think the inside is more awe inspiring than the outside...but I'm another one of those people who love to think about who has been there before me. If you want to soak in some history, go inside.

I am with those who advise skipping the inside of the Colosseum. In the time the inside tour would take, you could see the Forum (and Capodiglio) and ALSO my personal must-see in Roma: the Pantheon. You could stroll from the Pantheon to the Piazza Navona and the Campo dei Fiori and maybe even cross the Tiber into Trastevere for lunch or dinner.

That's my two cents (how many Euros is that?)
Betsy

It really depends on your love for history. For me going all the way to Rome and not going inside the Colosseum doesn't even make sense at all. The Colosseum is one of the main reasons I went to Rome in the first place. I took the tour with an excellent guide and not only did I skip the lines the guide (who was actually an American college professor on vacation) pointed to us various areas inside the arena where the animals were restrained etc. Good god man! We're talking about a place built in 80AD, one of the most significant structures in the history of humanity and you don't want to go inside? Sorry, I don't understand this.

I also don't understand it when I saw a whole bunch of Americans trying to skimp on the guides to save money. If you've spent so much money and come this far don't you want to get educated on what the hell is in front of you? Many of the tourists barely know their history well enough to even recognize what they are seeing.

Going inside the colloseum may add an hour at most but you cannot get a sense of the arena without actually seeing it on the inside.

ok, that is my rant

I would add my vote for the inside of the colosseum being worth seeing, but it is the wait in the line Outside to buy your ticket in order to see the inside that would waste time on an only one day trip. Spend time seeing the stuff without the big lines.

I don't spend money on the guides either. I buy a guidebook and guide myself. Preferably, I like to study up ahead of time. Learning about this stuff yourself is a lot cheaer than the guides.

To not have to wait in the line, you can reserve tickets for a small fee (2 euro) payable on pick up. Call 06-39967700 and they will give you a reservation number

I am with the 'go inside' crowd. This is one of the wonders of the ancient world. To miss it is to miss out on some significant history. You can look at it from afar, heck, you could just look at a picture from a book for that matter. Nothing is the same as being there, walking where Romans walked, and as Deborah pointed out, seeing the floor and visualizing the 'games'.

Going inside need not be a lengthy experience.

There is no doubt you will be challenged with one day on Rome. We have been twice and still just scratched the surface. Everywhere you turn in the city here is something of interest to captivate you.

Sharon, thanks for sharing your perspective and how special this was for you. I appreciate your feedback.

Lorraine

quote:

Originally posted by Elly:
As beautiful as the outside view is, there is really nothing like being inside and getting a 'real feeling' for it.

I have been inside twice in four years and it still amazes me.

Elly

thank you Elly. I appreciate your feedback.

[QUOTE]Originally posted by JDeQ:
I am with the 'go inside' crowd. This is one of the wonders of the ancient world. To miss it is to miss out on some significant history.

Thanks Jerry, again, I do appreciate these differing perspectives and the advice.

by the way, I think G.K. Chesterton is one of history's most quotable fellows! :-)

quote:

Originally posted by Cristina:
To not have to wait in the line, you can reserve tickets for a small fee (2 euro) payable on pick up. Call 06-39967700 and they will give you a reservation number

Christina,

good point, thanks for the information!
Lorraine

[QUOTE]Originally posted by BGE:
Lorraine,
Go inside! For goodness' sake, don't miss this opportunity to be a part of this historical structure.

thanks Brenda, and thanks for sharing your pics and restaurant choice. I'm making notes :-)

[QUOTE]Originally posted by k03740:
It really depends on your love for history. For me going all the way to Rome and not going inside the Colosseum doesn't even make sense at all. The Colosseum is one of the main reasons I went to Rome in the first place...... We're talking about a place built in 80AD, one of the most significant structures in the history of humanity and you don't want to go inside? Sorry, I don't understand this.

I also don't understand it when I saw a whole bunch of Americans trying to skimp on the guides to save money. If you've spent so much money and come this far don't you want to get educated...

Well, k03740.... Thank you for sharing your thoughts...

You certainly speak your mind eh? First off, I'm not American :-) I think you made a couple of interesting comments which I'd like to address.
You start of with "for me..." and then mention that the Colosseum was one of the reasons you first went to Rome , and that you simply cannot understand why anyone would even think of not seeing it.
As I have mentioned, we have only one day - time and money and other interests (which, by the way, might not be YOUR interests) constrict. No matter where I go in the world (and I have traveled quite a bit), I have a whole lifetime of being me that affects the things I want to do and see, and the reasons behind it. That should be pretty easy to understand for all of us. Also, when we start thinking that everyone else needs to think "our way", we have big problems - just look at history.

Just because someone has "come this far" does not mean that he now has unlimited financial resources to do whatever his little heart desires. We all have limits. We are considering several guide options, including the self-guided one, but a lack of money to spend does not equate a lack of desire to be informed. Maybe they had different interests? Maybe they just couldn't afford the rather pricey guide options. There are many ways to "get educated". I homeschooled our daughter - she never went to a class, but she is one of the most informed, interesting and interested, people I know.

I still don't know for sure which option we'll take, but it will be an informed and considered choice when the time comes.

quote:

Originally posted by Rome25:
I am with those who advise skipping the inside of the Colosseum. In the time the inside tour would take, you could see the Forum (and Capodiglio) and ALSO my personal must-see in Roma: the Pantheon. You could stroll from the Pantheon to the Piazza Navona and the Campo dei Fiori and maybe even cross the Tiber into Trastevere for lunch or dinner.

That's my two cents (how many Euros is that?)
Betsy

Hi Betsy, Thanks for your calm and nice response to my question :-)

I am playing around with lots of different ideas for walking around - overwhelming to say the least - but very interesting. I would like to start the day at the Capodiglio and then do some of the things you are mentioning - Pantheon, Piazza Navona et al. Still trying to figure out how long it takes to get from point A to point B on foot. Thanks for your input. I appreciate it! :-)

[QUOTE]Originally posted by Dorothyk:
Lorraine, I have to differ with the posters above, considering that you have only one day in Rome.....QUOTE]

Hi Dorothy, Just wanted to thank you for your nice and informative post. I appreciate getting another perspective - esp. one that resonates with my inclination ;-) It's not that we wouldn't LOVE to see the Colosseum, of course, but we DO just have the one day. Thanks again for the encouragement - not seeing the Colosseum is not tantamount to "historicide" :-)

Lorraine, it is difficult to give you an absolute answer because as the existing replies say we all have different opions. And I guess the answer lies in your own interests.

Just maybe, for a quick trip of Rome you might go to the Colosseum and walk around the outside to see first hand this incredible structure. You don't need to go inside to appreciate it. Then walk through the Forum to Capitoline Hill, Piazza Navona, Pantheon, Castel Sant'Angelo, Trevi Fountain, Spanish Steps. Then find a nice cafe for a well deserved drink and perhaps a snooze? Big ask but you can do it. You will sleep well that night. Leave out the Castel if it seems to long.

There are some web sites with suggested walking tours, I have forgotten the details. One in the Lonely Planet is about 3.5hrs so I think the above would be maybe 5 hrs. We have done this but not in one go and we spent a lot of time in each area.