Colosseum

This is either the first, second, or third most popular tourist attraction in Italy, depending on how much you love Pizza and Pasta. Known in ancient times as the Flavian Amphitheater, it may first have been called the Colosseum - a generic term - by a monk known as the Venerable Bede, some 600 years after its construction.

The importance of this building cannot be overstated. Its inauguration spanned a full 100 days of spectacle, including the killing of thousands of animals and hundreds of gladiators. Constructed in the very heart of Rome in the first century AD, the Colosseum was then used for entertainment for 500 years. Three fifths of the outer wall is now gone, but it is estimated that more than 3.5 million cubic feet of stone was required, just for construction of the outer wall, which stood 157' tall and encircled the arena. Most of the structural support for the interior wall and seating still remains. Should you visit, while you are admiring the architecture of the inner Colosseum, consider the thought that nearly two centuries ago, a delicately sensible Roman - in a vain attempt to ignore the fact that a mere stones throw away there was a lion eating somebody - may have been appreciating the very same structural details.

Today the Colosseum is a shell of what it used to be, but it still commands respect and admiration. At ground level there were originally 80 numbered arches for entry and exit, that supported two more levels of arches, all of which once displayed large statues. The nearly 2000-year-old Colosseum has been pillaged for almost half its life, for the structure's lavish ornamentation and beautiful polished stone. But even as a relic, it draws quite a crowd -- more than any other tourist site in Italy.

Guided tours are available if booked well in advance, but unless you are bilingual, be certain to ask for an English-speaking guide. Tours of 90 minutes include the second and third levels as well as the underground chambers in the center of the arena.