W E L C O M E

This website
is dedicated to the Colosseum, the greatest amphitheatre of the Romans and still the main landmark of the Eternal City, where it was built about 1920 years ago by the Flavian emperors.
The Colosseum is considered an architectural and engineering wonder, and it remains as a standing proof of both the grandeur and the cruelty of the Roman world. After the splendour of imperial times the Colosseum was abandoned, and it became in turn a fortress for the medieval clans of the city, a source of building materials, a picturesque scenery for painters, a place of Christian worship.
Today it is a challenge for the archaeologists, a scenario for events and shows and the most visited monument in Italy. Millions of people visit it every year, and are still impressed by its ruins like it happened to all the visitors in the past centuries.
In this site you'll find information on history, architecture and on the games that were held in the amphitheatre, there are also news on the events in the Colosseum, practical information for a  visit, FAQs, a page of feedback with the most usual questions asked by our readers, and much more, like figures and plans,a sitemap and even a page on the cats of the arena. Use the menu on top for an easy navigation. Click here for a quick panoramic view.

NEW!!!
Visit of the underground with pictures!!!
See the amazing stone model of the Colosseum made by a Syrian artist!!   It is on sale!!

The site started in 1998 on Tiscali, an Italian provider. The main reason for it was that at the time there was practically nothing on the web regarding the Colosseum. Its main purpose was and still is to provide information of all kind about the Colosseum.
In 2001 the the domain the-colosseum.net was created, the site emigrated to it and since then it grew accumulating text, documents and images, compatibly with the spare time of its creators. The website is indeed a no profit dis-organisation, as we try not to host annoying advertising, popups and the like. At least until we can afford it...
Please read this disclaimer: those of you who know about the Roman amphitheatre are kindly requested to do no more than smile at my efforts on these pages, and write me to correct it if you feel so inclined; those of you who come to the subject for the first time should certainly not take my opinions as gospel.

THIS SITE DOES NOT SELL TICKETS FOR THE COLOSSEUM,
BUT SUGGESTS DIFFERENT WAYS TO DO IT AND HOW TO GET THERE.

FOR BOOKINGS AND SALES LINK TO THESE SITES
1, 2 OR 3
AND COMPARE THE PRICES
TEL. NO FOR INFO AND BOOKINGS: +39 (0)6 399 677 00

Practical info on the visit ? click here

Go to the site in Italian

The most complete site on the Roman Colosseum in English and Italian:
architecture, history, gladiator games, tips for the visit, recent events.

This website is a creation of Andrea Pepe, his son Daniele and his wife Catherine McElwee, cives Romani.
It is better seen with a java compatible browser, 1024 x768 resolution and a fast connection.
Use the the drop-down menus for fast navigation of the site.

They wrote about us:
National Geographic: "Though put together by an amateur, this is a good clearinghouse of information, much of it visual, on all things related to the ancient Colosseum."
University of Cambridge: "This fantastic website has an excellent section on gladiator "games" as well as on the Colosseum. The wonderful illustrations are large and clear, and there are many hyperlinks to other parts of the site. For instance, click on the hyperlink "free-spectacles" to learn about the origin of gladiatorial contests."

The concert of Simon & Garfunkel (2004)