Hello lovelies! We keep (virtually) traveling to Rome togeth..

Hello lovelies! We keep (virtually) traveling to Rome together today. Who has never seen pictures of the glorious Colosseum? It's one of Rome most iconic buildings. In 2018, I did the day tour. In 2019, I did the night one. You will be able to see pictures of both tours if you keep swiping :) The tour was fun, and I don't have any fun anecdotes about it, but I thought that I'd share some of the most exciting things I've learned over those two tours (damn, it sounds like I was on an army tour lol! Sounds so serious) for anyone interested. It's estimated that over 400,000 people and over a million wild animals died during the centuries that the games took place. The Colosseum's construction ended in 80 AD. Gladiator contests stopped in 435 AD. Do the math, that's more than 1,000 people killed yearly. Think they would have cared about Covid back then when death was so... normal? Wars, natural disasters, and vandalism destroyed approximately two-thirds of the Colosseum. But it was the 847 AD and 1231 AD earthquakes that did the most damage that you can see today. Nothing can stop Mother Nature. Ask the Titanic. In order to gain popularity, emperors organized and paid for events in the Colosseum themselves. Entry was free for all ancient Romans (about 50,000 capacity), and they sometimes had free food throughout the spectacles too. Nowadays, politicians sell their tickets for their speech in arenas... LOL And I can't imagine my beloved Toronto Raptors offering me free beer or free pizza at games. Heck, it's like 25 bucks for a cheese slice and a Budweiser haha times sure have changed! You think that animals in zoos are being mistreated in modern times? Check that out! Along with hand-to-hand combat, the Romans staged hunts and wild animal fights that left scores of elephants, tigers, lions, bears, hippos, and other exotic creatures wounded and dead. Nine thousand animals were killed during the Colosseum's opening ceremonies alone, and 11,000 were killed during a 123-day festival held by the Emperor Trajan. Once the gladiators' fights stopped, the Colosseum became unattractive. From the 6th to the 18th century, it stayed mostly unoccupied, and no one took care of it. It was, and still is, the most giant amphitheater in the world. Yet, it was sitting there, empty for more than a thousand years. The place was eventually filled in with dirt, and through the centuries Romans planted vegetable gardens there and used the space for storage, while blacksmiths and merchants occupied the vaulted passageways above. Pope Sixtus V, who helped rebuild Rome in the late 16th century, attempted to overhaul the Colosseum as a factory for making wool, with living quarters in the upper reaches and a workspace on the arena floor, but Sixtus passed away in 1590, and the project never came to fruition. That's going to do it with our Colosseum virtual tour today! Yes, those buildings are marvelous, but there's always so much history behind each brick, each column, each structure. Our current view of the world is only based on a fraction of what we have known and seen since we were born. But there is SO MUCH MORE! Anyhow, I just love talking and sharing those things with you. And I hope that a few of you find it as interesting as I do :) We still have a few stops in Rome this week. Stay tuned for my next virtual travel posts!!!! Toodles!