Three Views of the Colosseum: One Monument, Many Selves

I remember the first time I saw the Colosseum. I had already been living in Florence for a while, quietly dodging the guilt of not having made it to Rome yet. I was learning Italian, and I was trying to figure out how to build a life here – one that actually worked. Rent, bureaucracy, and language all felt like too much. I needed a break, so I booked a last-minute getaway to Rome.

By the time I reached Piazza Venezia, my heart started racing a bit – I was getting goosebumps with excitement. I had already been wowed by the drama of Rome’s streets that I had spent the day exploring thus far, but then, there it was: the Colosseum.

Not just a ruin or relic. Not a museum piece. It felt like finally meeting a 2,000-year-old celebrity. A world icon. Each step closer to it felt like a step deeper into history. It was a step closer to truly feeling like I was exactly where I needed to be.

I kept walking, and as I got closer to it, I finally got a sense of how massive it is. I felt a sense of awe and also of sadness at the same time—to see such an amazing structure in such a state. So robbed and gutted of its former glory. How amazing it would be to see it intact again. I made my way clockwise around the base. Trying to focus on a mix of the big picture as well as all the small details.

I passed the Arch of Constantine, which I’ll admit I didn’t realize was located directly next to the Colosseum. It is big in its own right but also absolutely dwarfed by its colossal neighbor. I paused in front of the arch for a few minutes trying to imagine where the massive statue of Nero once stood and what that would have looked like if it were still standing today as well. 

Tour groups passed. Kids were taking selfies. I of course took a few photos, but to be honest I was so distracted and overwhelmed with it all that I almost forgot to take any. 

Over the years, I’ve returned again and again to see the Colosseum. Each time, the view was different. Not because the Colosseum had changed. But because I had. What follows isn’t just a list of vantage points. It’s a story of three views. And three versions of self. Each framed by the same monument, and yet, telling its own unique story.

1. The Curious Beginner

Vantage Point: Above Colosseo Metro Station

A few months after that first visit, I came back to Rome with a few hours between trains. I had a sudden urge to just see it again. I got off at the Colosseo Metro station, and instead of following the flow of people immediately exiting the station, I saw that you could walk to the right inside the metro station instead. I followed the corridor and found that there’s an escalator that you can take to an upper street level. You basically come out, and there you can see an elevated view of the Colosseum.

I was excited – I was following my instincts, and it was paying off! I spent quite some time walking along the wall all the way down to the end of the street and then all the way back again, trying to get some new and unique shots. I was trying to frame my photos just right – a wider shot of as much of the Colosseum as I could capture and some detailed shots in between the cypress trees. After taking photos for a bit, though, it just felt like something was off – maybe it was the time of day, maybe it was my gear?

The Colosseum was right there in front of me, and I felt like I didn’t have any more interesting photos that I could take. I was exhausting myself, and my creativity was feeling forced for some reason. I headed back towards the metro entrance and saw there was this small slope with some low walls that you can sit on. I decided I needed to just take a break and just try to enjoy the view. The little slope is not hidden, fancy, or particularly quiet. But it worked – I looked around, and I felt like a local amongst the tourists rushing by. From there, the Colosseum is almost right in front of you — like it’s been waiting for me to just slow down.

I meant to sit down for five minutes. But five minutes turned into thirty. Then more.
As I watched the light slip across its arches, I completely lost track of time. I grabbed a spritz and went back to sit down and just continued watching people—just taking it all in. I didn’t check my phone. I took a few more photos from where I was sitting, but mostly, I just sat. I felt like that’s what I really needed – why I felt like I needed to visit the Colosseum that day. I needed a place to slow down and just decompress, and it took staring directly at the Colosseum to remind me of that.

That version of me was overly excited and subsequently overwhelmed by what to shoot and where to start. I wanted to soak in everything, consider the frames, and consider the perfect exposure and lighting – to discover my own personal romanticized muse within the Colosseum. I knew where to go, I knew what to do, and I was chasing greatness—and then the Colosseum honestly humbled me.

I felt kind of embarrassed. I wasn’t finding the shots I wanted – they weren’t perfect, and so I was forced to be still and to ground myself. It was a moment stolen from the day. A pause that somehow gave more than it took. A moment that made me feel like I was right where I needed to be once again – in the presence of an old friend.

2. The Explorer

Vantage Point: Oppio Hill, near Via della Domus Aurea

On another trip to Rome a couple of years later, I had more confidence. I had been to Rome a few times now at this point, and I had even secured some work working as a travel photographer for some local tour companies. I spent the morning wandering the side streets near Monti, camera in hand, catching shadows on cobblestones, creeping vines on buildings, and snapping other details most people walk right past.

I was exhausted by midday -my back ached from carrying all my gear, my feet were sore, and my stomach reminded me I hadn’t eaten anything other than a pastry and espresso.

I went to Supermercato Elite and bought some cheese, bread, a few sottoli, and a bottle of Chianti so I could have my own ‘fancy’ picnic, and made my way through Parco del Colle Oppio e delle Terme di Traiano. I stopped at Chiosco di Nunzia and asked for a bottle of acqua frizzante and a cup (mostly for the cup ), and then wandered down to a spot on the grass that I liked along Vie delle Domus Aurea. Just down the hill from where I laid out my sweatshirt as my make-shift picnic blanket was the Colosseum, framed by a row of trees and sky.

I took the time to relax, enjoying my food slowly and sipping my wine out of my plastic water cup in the shade of a thirsty tree. I shot a few photos between bites.

At one point I took out my tripod and lined up a few photos to make sure I got at least one ‘hero’ shot, and otherwise I watched kids run around nearby and a trickle of tourists and locals walking to and from the Colosseum. I wasn’t thinking about anything in particular, which was rare at the time. I was just enjoying the moment. I didn’t even walk down to the Colosseum on that trip.

That patch of grass became a small moment of calm in a city that rarely stops moving. But more importantly, it was again a moment of calm I needed in my life. I wasn’t chasing anything — I just needed to rest, and the Colosseum was happy to stay in view.

This version of me felt confident and relaxed, but almost with a hint of ‘been there, seen that.’ I’d been back to see the Colosseum several times at that point since my first visit to the elevated overlook above the metro station – what more could there be to see?

3. The Wise Traveller

Vantage Point: Parco del Celio

Years passed. I’d been to Rome probably a dozen times or more. I had seen the Colosseum from just about every obvious angle. I had all the shots: straight-on shots, the dramatic wide angles, and the close-up textures of travertine and shadow.

When I arrived at the Colosseum, I knew I wasn’t chasing the same view anymore, and I also wasn’t the same person experiencing the Colosseum, either. I wanted to see if I could find a way to see the Colosseum again with fresh eyes—to spot something different, maybe something quieter and less obvious. 

So I let myself wander.

I didn’t follow a map. I just let the little roads and paths around the Colosseum pull me away from the noise. I crossed the street, passed under trees, and climbed a gentle slope without any idea where it led. The noise softened behind me. The voices got quieter. The ground turned from stone to gravel. And then I found it: Parco del Celio. 

It’s a quiet hilltop just behind the chaos. From this view, the Colosseum sat half-framed by trees and softened by distance, as if someone had placed it perfectly into the landscape. Children played nearby. A man was playing guitar under a tree. The sun was starting its descent, giving everything that soft, late-afternoon warmth.

I stood there for a while, camera at my side, not really in a rush to shoot anything.
Eventually I did, of course – just a few frames.
But mostly, I just stood. Watching. Thinking.

In that moment, I felt proud of myself, even while I was thinking, How had I not found this place before? I guess it just hadn’t occurred to me to search this area on previous trips. But it wasn’t that—it really was a matter of me being willing to explore again—to honestly want to open myself up to thinking that maybe there was something I missed.

By slowing down and getting intentional about what I really wanted to explore, I ended up discovering one of my favorite views in a place I thought I already knew inside and out. I now know that the best views are rarely the first ones you find. Sometimes it’s the one you find by accident, after years of walking in circles.

Other Tips and some Unique Places to Take Photos of the Colosseum From

• #1 – Also consider capturing photos of the Colosseum at night. It’s amazing at sunrise and also at sunset, but in the evening it also has some great lights that can be interesting to capture as well.
• Giardinetto del Monte Oppio – A small elevated park with a unique view
• Ponte degli Annibaldi – A small pedestrian bridge with an interesting view
• Via degli Annibaldi (Bring a long lens, AND if you are with someone else AND there are no cars around, the shot is in the middle of the street.). Be safe!)
• Temple of Venus and Rome (Inside the Roman Forum – capture the Colosseum from an entirely different angle)

  I hope these help some of you 🙂

I used to think photography was about capturing the right moment, the perfect angle, and the cleanest light. But standing in front of the Colosseum over the years, I’ve realized it’s just as much about capturing who you are in that moment. Even your favorite viewpoints might change over the years.

The Colosseum hasn’t changed. But I have. And that’s the quiet power of returning to the same place with different eyes. Each visit carved a little more space inside me for stillness, for finding meaning beyond the frame. In the end, these three views aren’t just about architecture or light or different locations.

They’re self-portraits, really. Glimpses of who I was, who I’ve become, and the moments in between. 

Writing all these memories down makes me want to visit the Colosseum all over again. After reading these short stories, where does it make you want to visit again with fresh eyes?