colloseum Rome

[mr.bungle]

Anyone been there? I am going to Rome soon. Is it worth getting excited about?

[jentee]

hi there! it truly is a gorgeous thing to see but when i went back to rome for a second time this may, i had no interest in walking round it again.if you are there for a couple of days you can take your time going round it-doesn't take long at all but under NO circumstances are you allowed to miss gathering up culture walking around the Forum next to the colloseum.pasta at the restaurant called Carbonara in the piazza Campo Di Fiordi with cheap champagne ('prosecco') at the bar opp it to follow and you'll have the best time ever and keep going back..clearly i'm a fan. enjoy.

[mr.bungle]

Thank you. Ihave been reading about Caesar and i know he had nothing to do with the colloseum but iwant to try and see Rome as it was as best i can.

[jno]

yep, but it helps to have a bit of imagination (or watch Gladiator) so you can imagine the building brand new, with awnings strung out over the top deck, people pouring in and out, lions coming up from the cells you can see below ground etc. As you'll probably have seen in photos, about half of the upper walls are now missing. Warning: can be queues. But it's worth it.

[Goodsoulette]

I lived in Rome and the must, you must do, is visit Gianicolo hill at night for the most amazing view. The forum is far more fascinating than the colloseum, in my opinion.

2 parks you must visit as well, Villa Borghese,is just stunning and Villa Pamphili. The latter one holds events at night in the summer, its great.

[jno]

online guide to the best sights of Rome:

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/travel/main.jhtml?x ml=/travel/2006/09/02/etrome02.xml

[mr.bungle]

Thanks to ALL the above. Any more suggestions are welcome. I am fascinated by the Romans at the moment. Caesar in particular but am open to more education.

[jno]

to be honest, so much of modern Rome is built over ancient Rome that there's not as much left as you might expect. The Colosseum and the Forum are the main survivors, and the main museum is good. There's a lot more of Rome of the Popes surviving from the Middle Ages and Renaissance - especially St Peter's, which is well worth a visit. If you want to get some feeling of what a whole Roman town is like, visit Pompeii (near Naples) or other deserted cities abroad such as Leptis Magna in Libya (there are good remains in Tunisia and Morocco too, and other colosseums in Tunisia, Croatia etc... the Romans really got around).

Sorry - I know you'll just be doing Rome this time round, but you might like to bear them in mind for the future.

[Octavius]

It is worth visiting. To be honest, I found it more awe-inspiring than the Great Pyramid for which I had greater expectations. Nevertheless, nothing like seeing and experiencing these surviving ancient icons for yourself.

[helpmetoo]

great donut stand by the sistine chapel!

[mr.bungle]

Helpmetoo, I am not a great donut and i'll stand where i like!