Colosseo

Near the fourth-century Arch of Constantine stands the gigantic Colosseum - 186m (620ft) long and 153m (510ft) wide. Emperor Vespasian began construction in AD72 and work was completed eight years later by his son Titus. To mark its inauguration, Titus staged a run of games that lasted 100 days, during which 5,000 animals were slaughtered. Explore the massive amphitheatre (seating 50,000) and the skeletal remains of underground chambers where gladiators and beasts were held beneath the long-vanished arena floor. The ‘games' were finally outlawed in the fifth century and the stadium pillaged for marble in the Middle Ages.