ROMA! (Page 4)

A chariot on the empty streets of Rome.

Castle San Angelo dates back to the Roman period, but has been greatly transformed over the centuries. For more info, check out castles.org

Tiber River.

A type of gladiator that didn't last long in the Coliseum.

Rome's most famous landmark: the Coliseum.

The Coliseum up close and personal.

The line to get in was CRAZY long! I was told 90 minutes. Instead of waiting. I decided to walk to the front to see if I could find a loophole (I did).

Here's a tip that will make you love me "long time": Another ticket window (with no line) sells tours. If you pay an extra €3.50 ($4.30) not only bypass the line, but you get a fascinating 45-minute tour. Entrance fee without tour is €10 ($12.29). There's an even better way to get into the Coliseum, which I will share on the next page.

Yeah baby! We're in without waiting!

Our tour guide

The Arch of Constantine. Built after 315 to commemorate the victory of Constantine, the first Christian emperor.

Inside the Coliseum.

It seated 50,000 spectators. They made part of the floor, so visitors can visualize the underground locker room. Our guide said the movie “Gladiator” did a fantastic job recreating the Coliseum, but the fighting wasn't accurate. There were three kinds of fights: gladiator (a slave or poor person) vs. gladiator; gladiator vs. animal, and animal vs. animal. But it wasn't like tigers fighting other tigers. They were uneven fights, with elephants against crocodiles, or monkeys versus zebras -- crazy stuff like that. The floor was covered with sand, to absorb blood.