This is post 16 of our Greek Isles Cruise and Rome Adventure series. Our final full day in Rome included a Palatine Hill and Colosseum tour, two of the most recognizable landmarks in the city and places where the scale of ancient Roman history really begins to sink in.
If you haven’t read previous posts in this series, you can start from the beginning here.
Getting to the Arch of Constantine
Our last full day in Rome included a Palatine Hill and Colosseum tour. Like our Vatican tour earlier in the week, we used Viator to arrange it. The meeting point for the group was the Arch of Constantine.
This turned out to be one of the more interesting tours of the trip. It included time on Palatine Hill, where Rome’s emperors once lived, and of course, a walk through the Colosseum itself. Along the way, we learned a lot about the history of the area and had a few small travel moments of our own before the tour even started.
Finding a Taxi in Rome
After our minor mishap on the morning of the Vatican tour, we had learned an important lesson: know where the nearest taxi stand is. So rather than trying to navigate the buses or walk across half the city, we decided to take a taxi to the arch.
There was still heightened security around the Italian Parliament, which meant cars couldn’t pick us up directly at the hotel. That was fine. We enjoyed another relaxed breakfast before heading over to the taxi stand.
This time, we knew exactly where we were going—no rushing around or wrong turns trying to find it.
A taxi was waiting when we arrived. I asked the driver if he could take us to the Arch of Constantine, where our tour group was meeting. He indicated he didn’t speak English, so I pulled up the location on my phone and showed him the map.
He looked at the screen and said, in what sounded like the most beautiful Italian, “Oh… l’Arco di Costantino,” and motioned for us to get in.
And off we went toward l’Arco di Costantino.
Partway there, we ran into some traffic. It wasn’t clear what the issue was, but a police officer was standing in the road directing cars. Our driver started speaking Italian. At least we think he was talking to himself. He could have been talking to us, but since we don’t speak Italian, we had no idea.
When we pulled up near the officer, the two of them started talking and making hand gestures back and forth. From our perspective, it looked like he was a little annoyed, and she was giving it right back to him. Or maybe it was a completely normal conversation. It’s easy to misread tone when you don’t understand the language.
In any event, we eventually made it through the traffic and were dropped off near l’Arco di Costantino.
Crowds at the Arch of Constantine
And that’s when we saw the crowds.
At first, we thought it was just a lot of people visiting the area, but it quickly became clear that what we were actually seeing were dozens of tour groups gathering around the arch.
Lots of them.
Trying to Find Our Tour Group at the Arch of Constantine
That’s when we realized something we probably should have thought about earlier—we had no idea which group was ours.
We had assumed we would simply show up at the arch and somehow recognize our tour group. In hindsight, that wasn’t the best plan.
So we started walking around asking different guides if we were on their list. No luck.
Finally, one guide asked us which company we were booked with. Demi checked her email and found the name, and the guide pointed to a group standing nearby.
And just like that, we had found our group.
It was a good reminder for the future: when meeting a tour in a crowded place, it’s helpful to know not just where you’re meeting, but who you’re looking for. Maybe the guide is holding a specific flag, wearing a recognizable hat, or carrying a sign.
Our Vatican tour was different because we met at the tour office rather than in a busy public place.
Meeting Our Guide, Fe
Our guide for the day was Felicity, though she went by Fe (pronounced “fee”). She was a retired schoolteacher from the U.K., and it didn’t take long to see that she had a real passion for Roman history—and for sharing it.
While Fe was checking everyone in and getting the group organized, we had a few minutes to look around. Standing near the Arch of Constantine, the Colosseum is right there and hard to miss.
The first thing you notice about the Colosseum isn’t just its size. It’s all the holes in the outer wall. I had a feeling we’d eventually learn the story behind those during the Colosseum part of the tour. But before we even reached the Colosseum, our tour actually began on Palatine Hill.
Exploring Palatine Hill in Rome
To be honest, before this trip, I didn’t know much about Palatine Hill in Rome. Like most people, I had always associated the Colosseum with ancient Rome. But once the tour started, it quickly became clear that the hill plays an important role in the story of the city.
Our guide, Fe, was incredibly knowledgeable, and it was obvious she had a real passion for the history she was sharing. Rather than simply pointing out ruins, she helped us imagine what once stood here. Palatine Hill was once one of the most desirable places to live in Rome, where emperors built large palaces overlooking the Roman Forum and the Circus Maximus.
Walking on Ancient Stones
One moment during the tour really put the age of the place into perspective.
At one point, Fe mentioned that some of the stone we were walking on had been there before the birth of Christ. Hearing that while standing on those stones has a way of making you stop for a second. The idea that people have been walking across the same ground for more than two thousand years is hard to wrap your head around.
Walking from Palatine Hill to the Colosseum
After spending time exploring the ruins on the hill, we eventually made our way down toward the Colosseum. The Colosseum is part of the Parco Archeologico del Colosseo, (Colosseum Archeological Park), which also includes Palatine Hill and the Roman Forum.
Walking from Palatine Hill toward the Colosseum, Demi and I felt a growing sense of anticipation. Not that we weren’t impressed with Palatine Hill—we were, and we learned quite a bit—but the Colosseum felt like the grand prize.
As we got closer, we could see much more of it than we could earlier from the Arch of Constantine. The holes we noticed before were everywhere. We could also see statues in some of the openings on the upper level.
The crowds of people were to be expected at a landmark like this. Fe let us know that the statues we were seeing were actually posters of statues that once occupied those spaces. From ground level, they looked surprisingly real, which was a nice effect.
As we continued walking and got closer to the structure, those holes became even more noticeable. Fe explained that iron clamps once held many of the large stone blocks together. Over the centuries, much of that metal was removed and reused elsewhere in Rome. What we see today are the small holes where those clamps once sat.
Lines to enter the Colosseum were already forming along the outside, and we made our way to the “fast” line. Like our Vatican tour, this one included fast-track access. While waiting in line, all we could really do was look up at the Colosseum and take it all in.
Fe shared a few more nuggets of history, but mostly let us enjoy the moment.
Inside the Colosseum
The line moved quickly, and in about twenty minutes, we were entering the Colosseum. In some ways, it reminded me of entering a stadium for a sporting event, with a large entrance leading to a wide walkway on the ground level. The crowd of people moving through the entrance felt very similar to spectators making their way to their seats before a game. It probably wasn’t that different from what happened here in Roman times, although the clothing would have been quite different.
At one point, I ran my hand along part of the structure just to feel the stone. It was smooth from centuries of weather, time, and countless hands touching the same stone.
As we walked along the lower level, I noticed that the fencing along the outer edge of the structure had a small door close to the ground with a paw print on it. It turns out it was a cat door, allowing the stray cats in the area to enter and leave as they wished. Apparently, Rome has a fairly large stray cat population, and the city takes good care of them.
Our First View of the Arena
From there, we made our way up to the upper level of the Colosseum. We came to a portal that led us out toward the interior of the Colosseum.
Imagine again, a modern-day stadium. As you walk through the portal toward your seating section, that first view of the field always brings a sense of excitement.
This felt very similar.
For the first time, we were looking out over the “field” of the Colosseum. It was an incredible view. A steady breeze moved through the open structure, something that must have been welcomed to spectators sitting there for hours.
How the Colosseum Seating Worked
Fe explained how the seating structure worked and who would sit where based on social status. The best seats, closest to the arena floor, were reserved for senators and other high-ranking officials. Just above them sat the wealthy citizens of Rome. Further up were the ordinary citizens, and the highest sections were typically reserved for women and the poorest members of society. Even two thousand years ago, seating arrangements clearly reflected social status. All things considered, the Colosseum seemed to be in remarkably good shape. Of course, there is ongoing restoration to preserve what remains.
Imagining a Day at the Colosseum
Fe did a great job helping us imagine what a typical day at the Colosseum might have looked like. Tens of thousands of spectators would fill the stands, sometimes as many as 50,000 people. The events could last all day and might include gladiator contests, staged battles, and animal hunts. Some of the animals were brought from distant parts of the Roman Empire—lions, elephants, and other exotic creatures that most Romans would never otherwise see.
On one hand, it was easy to visualize the crowds, the noise, and the spectacle. On the other hand, it was hard to imagine the brutality, violence, and death that actually took place here, not just for humans but for animals as well.
Looking Down Into the Hypogeum
After the guided portion of the tour ended, we were allowed to spend some time walking around the lower level and looking down into the underground chambers known as the hypogeum. We didn’t have access to walk through the chambers themselves; we could only view them from above.
There are tours that allow visitors to explore this part of the Colosseum, but it wasn’t included in ours. If we were to do this again, we would definitely book a tour that includes the hypogeum. I think walking through the same tunnels as the gladiators and seeing the cages that once held wild animals would certainly add to the experience.
Even from our vantage point above, I tried to imagine the cramped quarters below, the sounds of the animals, and the smell. It couldn’t have been a pleasant place for either animals or humans.
Not wanting to leave too soon — after all, when would we get back here — we eventually decided it was time to head out.
Finding a Ride Back to Hotel Nazionale
We made our way toward the exit and started back toward the area where the taxi had dropped us off earlier that morning to try to catch a ride back to the hotel.
In the morning, the taxi had dropped us off at a small pull-off area near the l’Arco di Constantino. There was a steady flow of taxis coming and going then, so it seemed like the logical place to return and catch a ride back to the hotel.
But when we got there, things were very different.
There wasn’t the steady stream of taxis we had seen earlier. In fact, we didn’t see any taxis pulling in at all. We waited a few minutes hoping one might show up, but nothing did. We saw a few taxis passing by on the road and tried waving to them, but no luck. I’m not even sure if you can hail a taxi that way in Italy.
Uber Anyone?
So we decided to try Uber. Demi has the app on her phone and scheduled a ride. The estimated arrival time was about twenty minutes.
While we waited, we noticed the arrival time kept changing. It would jump up, then drop down again, then jump back up. After a few minutes of that, we started to suspect that we might not be getting a ride after all.
Then I remembered seeing a taxi stand on the other side of the Colosseum earlier that morning.
Demi cancelled the Uber, and we started walking. We followed the sidewalk up a hill and around the Colosseum, hoping we’d eventually find that taxi stand.
Sure enough, we did.
This time, there were taxis waiting, and before long, we were on our way back to the hotel.
It had been a long day, but a memorable one. Our Palatine Hill and Colosseum tour was the perfect way to round out our stay in Rome. Spending time on Palatine Hill and inside the Colosseum gave us a better appreciation for just how much history surrounds you in Rome. It also added a new perspective to the books I’ve read and the movies I’ve seen about this period.
Until Next Time
Thanks for following along. In our next entry, we head to the airport for our trip home! Another long-haul flight, but it was a different experience from our flight coming into Rome.
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