One of the most iconic symbols of Rome is the Colosseum. A trip to Rome is probably not complete without a visit to this historic site. We booked advance tickets through a tour company so that we did not have to wait in line for a ticket, and even with the advance tickets, the line to get into the Colosseum in the morning was quite long. Once inside, the area was packed with small tour groups that also had the advanced entry tickets like ourselves, granting entrance one hour before the gates opened to the general public. It was crowded inside the small corridors but once outside in the expanse of the open arena, the crowds were manageable and we were able to walk around on our own. I’ll have three different posts of this special place; one of the outside, one of the view from the upper levels and one from down near the bottom of the ruins. Today, the views from around the perimeter.
Some sections were not photographed as they were covered with scaffolding being cleaned of the black residue from city smog and pollution. The Colosseum is under-going a $35 million renovation cleanup project; the first full cleaning in the Colosseum’s history. One of the images in the gallery below shows the area that is still to be cleaned of the black stains.
#Colosseum, #Rome, #TerriButlerPhotography
