Colosseum Virtual Tour: Blood and Sand in Ancient Rome

Tour Overview

Spend a fascinating hour in the company of Through Eternity guide and practising archaeologist Luca, and discover ancient Rome’s most iconic monument through the eyes of an expert. On our virtual tour of the Colosseum you’ll be immersed in the bloody games that lit up the amphitheatre nearly 2,000 years ago. Discover how the deadly spectacles of life and death that took place there were wildly popular, and get inside the minds of the ancient Romans who watched the gore with grim fascination. Recreating a day at the games, we’ll learn who the gladiators were and what happened when they stepped onto the sands of the arena. We'll also be going behind the scenes down into the dark world of the Colosseum's underground, where slaves toiled in hellish conditions to make the games a reality. Thanks to Luca's spellbinding narration and spectacular imagery, our immersive webinar will bring antiquity’s greatest monument to life from the comfort of your own home. Join us today!

If the day of the week or start time of this group tour doesn't work for you, please email us at office@througheternity.com to arrange a suitable alternative date.

Tour Description

Meet your guide: Luca

Hi! My name is Luca and I was born in Rome 43 years ago. At the age of 17 I set off for the United States for my senior year of High School in Milwaukee, WI. Back in Italy, I went on to college and got a master's degree in archaeology. My work as an archaeologist took me all over Italy, and even to Egypt! 10 years ago I earned my tour guide qualification, and decided to join the Through Eternity team. I have been taking visitors around Rome ever since, trying to inspire them and give them an unforgettable experience of the Eternal City. I hope I’ll be able to get back to it soon when all this is over!

What Exactly is a Through Eternity Virtual Tour?  

The world of travel might be on hold right now, but just because we're all staying at home to help the world overcome a common enemy doesn't mean we have to put our wanderlust on the back burner. Frustrated with not being able to get our travel fix, we decided to transform our award-winning tours into immersive virtual experiences, meaning you can still explore Italy’s spectacular archaeological sites and jaw-dropping museums from the comfort of your own home.

* Please note that the booking times are in US Eastern Standard Time and Rome, Italy CET is 6 hours ahead *

Fun and informative, our virtual tours take the form of online real-time presentations led by our expert guides. Combining videos, high-definition photos and more, our guides will be sharing their wealth of knowledge and experience with you on these interactive walkthroughs of Italy’s most fascinating sites. The live format of our virtual tours means you’ll be able to ask your guide anything you wish, just like on a normal tour. We really believe it's the next best thing to being here!

As a sign of our gratitude to those who are on the front line fighting the Coronavirus, we would be more than happy to invite all first responders, health workers and NHS workers to join our Virtual Tours for free.

Please note that the proceeds from our online tours go directly to our guides, providing them with a valuable lifeline in these tough times for the world of travel. Thank you for your support! 

Relive a Day at the Roman Games and Discover the Secrets of the Arena

Join Luca to discover the fascinating history of the Colosseum: learn how the massive amphitheatre was constructed on the site of the hated emperor Nero’s Golden House, and the massive slave labour that made its construction possible. Relive the extraordinary inaugural games that lasted 100 days, and discover how the games would continue here for fully five centuries as a key guarantor of social cohesion in the Imperial capital.

Get ready to relive an entire day at the games: from the gruesome wild animal hunts that brought north-African hippos and lions to the verge of extinction to the spectacle of criminals being fed to the beasts in bizarre re-enactments of ancient myths, Roman bloodlust knew no bounds. But the highlight of the games for any ancient Roman was of course the gladiator battles that pitted armed combatants against one another in brutal but highly choreographed duels to the death. 

Walk in the Virtual Footsteps of the Gladiators onto the Arena Floor

On your virtual tour of the Colosseum with Luca you'll find out everything you could want to know about the gladiators: discover where they came from and how they lived in the spartan surroundings of gladiator schools. Learn about their punishing training regimes under the watchful guide of their lanista, and how they were a lot chubbier than Russell Crowe. We'll also be recreating the intense drama of their mortal combats on the sands of the arena, and discovering what happened to the winners and the losers - hint: it involved a giant mace.

Explore the Dark World of the Colosseum's Underground 

Explore the Colosseum’s various levels. Learn how where you sat depended on who you were, from the ringside Imperial box and the areas reserved for senators and Vestal Virgins to the nosebleed seats reserved for women and slaves at the very top of the amphitheatre.

We’ll also be taking a virtual journey down into the dark world of the Colosseum’s underground Hypogeum. This dark warren of tunnels and cells that were hidden beneath the arena floor is perhaps the most atmospheric part of the whole amphitheatre. It was here that gladiators and beasts awaited their turn on the arena above. Learn about the ingenious elevators that winched them upwards, and the backbreaking labour of the slaves who made the games possible.

If you’re frustrated about not being able to get to Rome right now, we believe our immersive virtual Colosseum tour with Luca is the next best thing. Discover the secrets of the extraordinary ancient amphitheatre with us today!

 

Tour Reviews

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