Teatro di Marcello

Marcellus's Theater was the Colosseum 1.0, the original Roman amphitheater

The Colosseum may have been the biggest, but the Theater of Marcellus was there first and it served as the model for the later, more famous arena.

It was started by Julius Caesar in 27 BC, but finished under the reign of Augustus Caesar in AD 14, who dedicated the theater in the name of his nephew and one-time heir Marcellus, who had funded the theater's construction for a time until he became ill and died in 23 BC at the age of 19.

In its prime, the travertine Theatre of Marcellus was 33m (108 feet) high, 130m (427 feet) across, and could hold 15,000 to 20,000 spectators. It was covered by a sail to provide shade, had moveable wooden scenery, and was fitted with 36 bronze vases to improve the acoustics. It was adapted and restored over time and remained in use as a theater until the fourth century.

You can admire Roman ingenuity throughout the ages here. In the 13th century, the remains of the theater were used as a foundation to turn it into a fortress, and in the 15th century this was converted by Baldassare Peruzzi into a palazzo for the Savelli family (the Orsini family bought it in the 18th century).

The Theater of Marcello is only open upon request at certain times of year (see "Tips" below), but you can always admire its curving wall in the three classical orders (Doric, Ionic, Corinthian), as the oft-photographed trio of fluted columns suggesting the corner of an temple that once stood next-door.

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