Visitors enjoy awesome spectacle of Rome's Colosseum at night

As the summer heat makes the outdoors often unbearable for tourists and locals alike in Rome, the city's most famous building - which is also one of the world's most famous buildings - can be visited in the cooler night hours.

And if the full moon is out it makes for an unforgettable experience.

The Colosseum, which is also the world's largest ampitheatre, was built during the rule of Emperor Titus Flavius ​​Vespasian between 70 AD and 80 AD.

And originally it had a gigantic bronze statue of the Emperor Nero outside it.

Visitors can also go to the basements where the animals were held in cages - and the slaves and gladiators waited before being lifted up to the arena by surprise, using a complex system of winches, to fight for the gory delight of the bloodthirsty crowd.

The Colosseum is the major highlight for many people visiting Rome, and according to the World Tourism Organisation the city had an estimated 35 million visitors in 2023.