The Rome Colosseum, completed in 80 AD, built to hold over 70,000 spectators for gladiator games, is a popular tourism spot and holds daily tours throughout the year. Tickets are sold on a sliding scale and tours are given in frequent intervals in a number of languages. Tourists travel through the multiple decks of seating areas and corridors to view the architecture and hear tales from the era.
Though it is in the center of Rome, Vatican City is technically its own city-state, separate from Rome. Vatican City has been the home to the Pope since 1929 and is the center for the Roman Catholic Church. Vatican City is filled with ancient churches, chapels and art and can take days to get through all of it, however most tours through Vatican City include full- or half-day trips through several of the most famous buildings and churches, including The Rooms of Raphael, The Sistine Chapel and the Papal Basilica of St. Peter's. The Rooms of Raphael houses some of Raphael's most famous works, The Sistine Chapel is home to the iconic Michelangelo fresco, ceiling painting, and the Papal Basilica of St. Peter's has the largest interior of any Christian church on Earth, the burial site of St. Peter and a number of former popes, as well as a number of famous works of art.
The Pantheon is a temple originally built for Pagan Gods in 200 AD and was converted to a Christian church in 609 AD. Its dome remained the largest in the world for more than a thousand years until the Florence Cathedral was built in the 1400s. The Pantheon is the resting place for several Italian Kings and many works by Raphael. Admission is free and tours are given at regular intervals, in several different languages.
