10/28 – no trip to Rome would be complete without seeing the Colosseum. It’s really old, and really big. It was built in the first century, to provide entertainment for Roman citizens, and ended up being a neat way to get rid of prisoners, malcontents and pesky Christians. Contrary to popular belief, we were informed that contests seldom ended in death.

Once inside, you can see the galleries, the floor where the action took place, and the warren of small cages and enclosures under the floor where the animals and prisoners were kept.

Part of a mosaic floor:

There were four underground tunnels that used to connect the Colosseum to other parts of the city, but as the city encroached, they were disabled so that new roads and the Metro could be built.

There are so many old things to see in Rome, that I had to restrain myself from snapping at every structure we passed.

Whoops – almost forgot these two old things: