All over the empire， Romans enjoyed going to the theater to see concerts and plays， and to the stadium to watch chariot races and the amphitheater to watch bloody sports. Going to the amphitheater (Colosseum) was probably the most popular. Gladiatorial combatscombat n.战斗， 格斗 v.战斗， 搏斗， 抗击， fights with beasts and other fights were held in the Colosseum. The Colosseum was big enough to hold the whole population of a town as many as 50，000 people would sometimes spend the whole day there watching sports. The games were really bloody and for four centuries， men died as an entertainment for the crowd. Gladiators went to training schools； most of them were slaves and criminalscriminal n.罪犯， 犯罪者 adj.犯罪的， 犯法的， 罪恶的. At first there were fights to the death between wild animals： bear against buffalo， buffalo against elephant， and elephant against rhinoceros. Sometimes there would even be fights between men and tame beasts. These fights were called venationes.
The Amphitheater is built of travertine outside， and of tufa and brick in the interior. It had Greek columns decorating the outside， but these did not support the architecture. The Colosseum had a circumference of 527m and it was 50m high. There were 80 entrances， all numbered except for the four main entrances which were wider than the others and were reserved for the Emperor. It was designed so that the crowd could get out in five minutes. The interior was divided into three parts： the arena， the podiumpodium n.乐队指挥台， 墩座墙， and the caveacavea n.古罗马剧场的梯形座位， 古罗马之兽笼. Now more than twothirds of the original building has been removed and the rows of the seats in the cavea are missing. It is very similar to other amphitheatersamphitheater n.古罗马的圆形剧场， 竞技场， 似圆形剧场的场所 except this one is much bigger.
The Great Colosseum in Rome is best known for its multilevel system of vaults made of concrete. It is called the Colosseum for a colossalcolossal adj.巨大的， 庞大的 statue of Nero that once stood nearby， but its real name is the Flavian Amphitheater. It was used for staged battles between lions and Christians， among other spectacles， and is one of the most famous pieces of architecture in the world.
It was originally constructed of wood， and later of stone， and was used by the Romans for gladiatorialgladiatorial adj.斗剑者的， 争论的 combats， fights of wild beasts， and other spectacles. The exhibition area was encircled by seats. The first amphitheater was constructed in 59 B.C. by the Roman pontifex maximus Gaius Scribonius Curio. The first partial stone amphitheater was built in 30 B.C. by Augustus， before he became first emperor of Rome. This amphitheater remained the only one in Rome not entirely of wood until the erection of the Colosseum by the Roman emperor Vespasian， whose son and successor， Titus， dedicated the edifice in A.D. 80. The upper part of the Colosseum itself， however， was originally of wood； it was replaced by stone after 223. The example of Rome was followed by all the cities of any importance throughout the Roman Empire. According to a 4thcentury document the Colosseum at Rome seated 87，000 persons； modern scholars， however， believe that only about 50，000 persons could be seated. The colosseumsColosseum n.罗马圆形大剧场(建于公元80年，耗时5年，至今大部分尚存) of Pozzuoli， Capua， Verona， and Tarragona (all in Italy) are about the same size.
The Colosseum remains one of Rome，s most impressive sites. From the inside， pictured here， visitors can still imagine the roar of 50，000 spectators witnessing a host of bloody sports events. Beneath the floor of the Colosseum， now gone， were numerous cells which held wild animals， gladiatorsgladiator n.古罗马公开表演的格斗者(通常都是奴隶和俘虏)， 精于辩论和格斗的人， 职业拳击者， convicted criminals， and Christians.
Inside the Colosseum， pairs of gladiators regularly fought each other for public amusement. There were formal rules and there was， as in hockey or baseball games today， even musical accompaniment from organs. The Thracian， armed with a curved sword， was conventionally set against a Samnite， who had a crested helmet and was protected by a long shield. In other competitions， the retiarius， a fighter whose principal weapon was a net， was arrayed against a secutor armed with a short sword and small rectangular shield. Since the retiariusretiarius n.(古罗马)持网和三叉戟的角斗士 fought bareheaded while their opponents， heads were protected by helmets with face masks， the Emperor Claudius (A.D. 41～54) would invariably order their deaths pollice verso (thumbs down). This was because the Emperor took delight in watching and observing the fighters， facial contortions.
Piazza di Spagna
西班牙广场
西班牙广场(Piazza di Spagna )，从17世纪到18世纪以来一直是罗马文化和旅游的中心地带。李斯特、拜伦、歌德、安杰里科、考夫曼、巴尔扎克、司汤达、安德逊和另外一些名人曾在广场附近的街坊居住过。英国诗人济慈就是在大台阶靠右边的那间屋子里与世长辞的。
具有艺术特色的大台阶是于1723年建成的。由建筑师德·桑蒂斯和斯佩基设计的。正面的西班牙台阶因为曾经是电影《罗马假日》的外景地之一，而闻名于世。
西班牙广场也是最繁荣的商业中心，靠近艺术家集中的地段，不少艺术家就住在马尔古塔大街和巴布伊诺大街。这两条街上有很多古玩店和艺术画廊。 西班牙广场台阶前的破船喷泉是彼得罗，贝尔尼尼在16世纪末创作的。
大台阶对面是高级商店林立，繁华闻名的水道大街。进到水道大街，右边就是着名的希腊咖啡馆。18世纪以来，这里是意大利和外国知识界艺术界人士会聚的地方。
西班牙广场下有一座奇异的船形喷泉，那是一艘即将沉没的船只，大量的水正从船体内涌出，据说它是为纪念1598年罗马大水灾而建造的。当时台伯河泛滥成灾，河水一直漫进西班牙广场一带。洪水退后，一条破船便遗留在广场之上。后来雕塑家彼得罗以此为题材设计了这座漂亮的喷泉。当一切感伤都成了过去，我们看到的往往不是苦难，而是苦难之后的幸福笑脸。如今，船形喷泉更像是全世界浪漫的人泛滥的情感。
西班牙广场也适合孤独的旅行者，想喝咖啡的人可以进旧貌未改的格雷科咖啡馆，像歌德、拜伦一样在此品味人生；喜欢购物的人在这里更是如鱼得水，鳞次栉比的名牌店像一排排高悬的鱼饵，诱惑着人们心中不断膨胀的欲望。
This beautiful piazzapiazza n.广场， 走廊， 露天市场 has been the destination of foreigners to Rome for centuries： most came as pilgrims and arrived in the north part of the city before finding lodgings. It was Pope Leo X who， from Piazza del Popolo (the first piazza inside the walls of Rome coming from the north)， constructed the three roads leading south in the form of a trident across the Campo Marzio. The easternmosteasternmost adj.最东部的， 极东的 is Via del Babuino， Baboon Street， that leads directly to Piazza di Spagna.
Formed from two sharp triangles that meet at the points， the piazza is such a strange shape that it，s hard to call it a “square”. In fact a few centuries ago only the southern half was called Piazza di Spagna (after the Spanish embassy to the Holy See)， the northern half was called Piazza di Francia (after the French embassy).