We are standing in front of the great Colosseum in Rome.

"Hey Dante maybe we can go inside and pretend we are gladiators fighting against each other."

"That would be so cool Antonio. Could you imagine how the Colosseum looked back in the day?"

Below are just some of the interesting facts about this great architectural building from the Roman Empire.

Construction for the Colosseum started in 72 AD under emperor Vespasian (Titus Flavius Vespasianus) The massive structure only took eight years to complete It is 159 feet tall The oval shaped design is 616 feet by 512 feet The Colosseum was originally called the Flavian Amphitheatre. This name was chosen to honor the family name of Vespasian. He was part of the Flavian clan It was inaugurated in 80 AD by the emperor Titus (Vespasian's son) The amphitheatre could seat about 50,000 spectators Events consisted of gladiatorial shows, venationes (animal hunts) and naumachiae, which were recreations of famous naval battles St. Bede wrote "While stands the Colosseum, Rome shall stand; when falls the Colosseum, Rome shall fall; and when Rome falls - the World."

"Dante this was a great start to our adventures. I can't wait to see where we end up next week!"

"Me too Antonio!"

"Ciao for now - see you next week for a whole new traveling adventure!"

How did you like our first adventure? We would love to hear from you! Just send us an email to antonioanddante@italiansrus.com. Here is how you can help us on our journey.

Italian Mom
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