For the first time, visitors to the Colosseum are being allowed to tour the tunnels where the gladiators prepared for victory - or deathFor years, visitors to the Colosseum have been able to put themselves in the position of the Roman spectator. They could stand where senators and nobles once sat to witness ancient Rome's bloodiest games; they could look down on the arena where, from 80AD until the games' end in the fifth century, gladiators fought to the death. And, perhaps, they could start to sense the morbid curiosity of the 50,000 spectators.Without access to the amphitheatre's other areas, though, the experience always lacked a key ingredient: how the gladiators themselves would have felt.Until now, that is. For the first time since antiquity, and after a ?1m restoration, both the Colosseum's subterranean and third-floor levels are officially open to the public. The arena itself, where fights between men and beasts took place, has also been opened, allowing visitors to walk in the footsteps of gladiators.Due to the archaeological delicacy of the structure, the only way to access these areas is on one of the Colosseum's tours. With a guide, you can follow the path of the fighters - who included free citizens, slaves and prisoners - into the arena. The wooden platform here is where they would have paraded before the games - calling to the emperor "We men who are about to die salute thee!" - and where they would have fought to the death.You can then descend into the hypogeum, or underground tunnels and rooms - which were originally excavated in the 19th century, and where the gladiators would have readied themselves for the fights - and walk through the Porta Libitina, the exit arch from the arena for the dead.The bowels of the Colosseum, the hypogeum's inner workings would have been unknown even to most ancient Romans. Today, facing the still-high walls of the hypogeum's narrow chambers, it's easy to imagine just how dark, dank and claustrophobic these tunnels once were; how chaotic and frightening the scene would have been - crammed with combatants and exotic beasts, and smelling of sweat and animals; and how loud with the thuds of combat, the screams of the dying and the roar of the spectators from above.But the chambers weren't just holding pens for the waiting gladiators and animals. Here, too, was where some 500 workers would have been labouring behind the scenes, hauling animals up in wooden elevators to arena level or readying a backdrop for the next game. The games included elaborately-painted backdrops, costumes, and music - they offered a bloody mix of entertainments. The inaugural games of 80AD, for example, included a gladiatorial contest, a wild-beast hunt, a horse race, and a re-enacted naval battle between 3,000 men, followed by an infantry battle ? just in the first three days. The inauguration lasted for 97 days more.But imagining how the gladiators would have felt can only happen when standing in the arena itself. There, on a reconstructed wooden platform covered in sand (to soak up the blood), you stand on the spot where thousands of men and tens of thousands of beasts were killed. This, too, was where the emperor played god. For the defeated, the only chance of survival was asking for his mercy. As the crowd erupted to show their own preference, he would give the hand signal. Thumbs up or thumbs down: life or death (although historians are not entirely clear if up was down or vice-versa).For a sense of the scale of the Colosseum, meanwhile, you have to go up to the newly-opened third floor, where the middle classes would have sat. This level boasts heart-stopping views of Rome, from Palatine Hill to the distant Vittorio Emanuele monument. And, at about 115ft in the air, you're still more than 70ft below where the highest seats would have been.It's the combination of Roman ingenuity and brutality that takes your breath away. And in the Colosseum, the best way to get a real sense of it all is to go up - and down.? To visit the hypogeum, third level and Porta Libitina, you must book a guided tour in advance. The tour costs ?8 on top of the normal ?12 entrance (which includes entrance to the Colosseum, Palatine and Forum). To book, call Pierreci at +39 06 3996 7700. Tours are currently available until 30 November, with the possibility of that time frame being extended.RomeItalyCultural tripsCity breaksShort breaksItalyAmanda Ruggeriguardian.co.uk © Guardian News & Media Limited 2010 | Use of this content is subject to our Terms & Conditions | More Feeds
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