The Colosseum at Night

Few buildings in the world are as recognizable as Rome’s Colosseum. Tens of thousands of people fill the ancient area during the day to get a glimpse of the past. When the sun goes down the doors are closed and the building rests as it has for almost 2,000 years, waiting for another day.

After the sun has fallen the colosseum lights up with a yellow glow from the outside. Inside a few bulbs burn to illuminate the stone arches. As beautiful as the building is during the day, but I think it’s even better to see the Colosseum at night.

Streets that are filled to the brim with tourists during the day are quite and peaceful at night. There are no lines of people waiting to visit the Colosseum. At night there are only a few young couples sitting on the park benches, and a lone vendor trying to make an extra sale. The peacefulness of the place along with the beautifully lit up building; made for an amazing way to spend an evening.

I brought out my tripod and camera to circle the Colosseum trying to capture the ancient structure as I saw it that night. It was a mostly clear summer night with just a few clouds that sailed above the colosseum.

I set my camera to take long exposures which allowed me to get pictures that looked just as they had to my eye that evening. The night sky cast cool blues on to the stone and was contrasted by the warm yellows from the lights used to illuminate the archways.

Traffic whizzes past the mammoth stone structure as modern Rome live side by side the ancient past. I set up my camera across the street from the Colosseum to catch some of the cars and buses in the busy area of town in my pictures.

The Colosseum isn’t in some far-flung corner of the city, it’s right in the middle of modern Rome. To truly see the Colosseum at night I wanted to show that the building is still very much alive.

Have you been to the Colosseum at night? What do you prefer visiting, the Colosseum at night or during the day?