What place is the best one to start? Is it possible to tell a brief history of the Eternal City? It is unlikely that this can be done in a few words. In any case, one very important date will always be mentioned - April 21, 753 BC. This is the day, when Romulus founded the city of Rome. Not long before this event he killed his twin brother Remus. During the following centuries a small city-state turned into a powerful empire. The reign of Emperor Marcus Aurelius, 161-180 BC, is considered the period of prosperity of the ancient Rome. Just like centuries ago, the modern city is situated on seven hills - the Aventine Hill, the Caelian Hill, the Palatine Hill, the Capitoline Hill, the Esquiline Hill, the Quirinal Hill and the Viminal Hill. The central districts of the city are located in the Campo Marzio . This is also the location of the most famous landmarks of Rome. The districts of Trastevere , which is situated on the opposite bank of the Tiber, and Monti are also known all over the world. Do not forget to visit Pigneto , the city quarter that is usually called “the most Roman quarter in the city”.
The Coliseum. The amphitheater of Flavius was built in the first century AD. The amphitheater was built right on the site of the artificial sea made by order of Nero. The building of the Coliseum was an attempt to erase bad memories about Nero and to return love of ordinary people. The Coliseum was the largest amphitheater of its type in the Roman Empire. The building of the Coliseum was finished in 80 AD. In order to celebrate the grand opening, Emperor Titus ordered to organize games in its arena. The games lasted 100 days and included battles of gladiators, battles of cranes and elephants. Approximately 9,000 animals were killed during these fights. Later, the amphitheater was expanded. One more row of seats was added, as well as some new passages and rooms under the arena. Nowadays, the amphitheater of Flavius is known as the Coliseum. Most probably, the structure received this name because of the 40-meter sculpture (or "Colossus") of Nero that stood nearby, and not because of the size of the construction as many think.
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