Before a tour of Colosseum starting at 2:55 pm, other rules, and so on.

Just a small point, but there are no dungeons at the colosseum. The underground area is a staging area for the shows that were put on during the games.

As for what to do, you could visit the Circus Maximus, the Mouth of Truth, the Knights of Malta Keyhole or the Baths of Caracalla. All are in the general area of the colosseum and forum.

You are not supposed to take food or liquids into the colosseum. I haven't tried but I assume they will make you throw it away just like they do with water and other liquids.

I haven't used the Roman Guy. I generally book only through the official website.

Donna

Donna, I take bottled water into the Colosseum/Forum area - no problems. There are fountains for drinking water and many people fill up their water bottles.

They may not permit soft drinks or food due to disposal concerns?

1. Bringing food into a place is not the same thing as eating in a place. I would not eat while on any tour or in a museum.
2. The only two place I have visited where the people in charge were duchebags about not allowing food inside - perhaps I will remember other places later - were the Michigan Renaissance Festival; and the Chicago institute of Art - they made me throw away a whole unopened package of dates that cost $5.49. But at the Detroit Institute of Art, they let me give a bag containing food to the coat check person, and the Henry Ford Museum also does not care if you bring in food concealed inside a bag. I have eaten my own food in the cafe seating area of the two both museums in Detroit.
3. I am nuts about food. I am afraid that restaurant food has too much sodium or is otherwise bad for you. I also currently eat 5 smaller sittings on average per day instead of 2 or three bigger sittings or food like most pther people.
4. I am currently on a strange diet high in fruit; I didn't have problem when I visited London, England. My family thinks I am nuts and perhaps they are right, but I will be traveling alone (not trying to avoid them, they are busy, I am 33 years old, and so on).

Mike, double check the colosseum website. I don't believe they allow backpacks. Someone please correct me if I'm wrong.

I supposed I will have to walk out of my hostel carrying just my camera in a case draped around my shoulder under my shirt, and a bag with just enough food to eat once or twice before meeting my Colosseum tour; the bag will have to be have only the food, and the bag will have to be something I can just throw away before meeting the tour; the bag will have to be either like a shopping bag or like the kind of nylon bag that looks almost like a shopping bag, with a drawstring closure and straps or cords to carry like a backpack, and then I would just toss the bag in a garbage can just before meeting my tour group. I'll carry a package of floss, travel sized toothbrush, and hankerchief, in pants pockets; I will leave my cell phone in the locker in the hostel; if I need to buy food after the tour, and they don't have bags, I will just have to go back to my hostel room and get a bag before going back out to buy supplies.

Small bags and purses allowed. At colosseum you put bag thru scanner at forum you open and they look in no scanner. Was there 3 days ago

Yes, smaller bags and backpacks are allowed. Just not big ones.

They have not allowed water inside the colosseum for several months now. They do allow you to take an empty water bottle and fill it up inside.

Small bags and backpacks are allowed however the guards get to decide what is too big and what isn't.

Donna

As far as the other aspect of your question: I think you have time to squeeze something else in that morning. I think you could do either the Borghese or the Capitoline in two hours (the Borghese, you don't have a choice! You are only allowed 2 hours). But neither of these is close to the Colosseum so a lot of this depends on where your hotel is, what time you want to get up, and if you are getting around on foot or using public transportation.

It will be VERY warm in July and it will be the warmest about the time you are taking your tour. So you may want to consider an early morning tour, heading back to the hotel for a snack and siesta, and then going to your tour cool and well rested.

Sodium content in food has a lot to do with the fact that the foods are pre-packaged. Most Italian restaurants do everything fresh and you can definitely taste the difference. I don't want to interfere with your dietary restrictions especially if there are some allergy issues or doctor recommendations. But if it is purely about sodium content, give the menus a read. You will also see delicious fresh fruit at the street markets.

We've done the colosseum, forum, palatine and Capitoline museum on the same day. The museum is not far from the colosseum at all

Hi Mike,

My family is also doing the Roman Guy 2:55 pm Underground and Colosseum Tour. We're visiting the Capitoline Museum in the morning before the tour and Vittoria Emanuele Monument “Terrace of the Chariots” next door for views of Roman. Have fun.

My great-grandfather with my same last name had a heart attack and dropped dead, when he was 39. I am trying to be extremely health conscious. I don't have any known allergies, or at least no obvious food allergies. I did have a doctor tell me to eat 4-6 smaller meals a day and give me foods to avoid, including hi sodium foods, but that was because of heartburn or acid reflux, which I think was due to chronically over eating, 2 times a day.

I won't avoid taking the Colosseum tour at 2:55pm instead of earlier; this tour does not give full refunds for cancellation; I scheduled the tour; the weather will be fine. My hostel appears to be about midway between the Borghese gallery and Termini station.

Hi Mike,

I misspoke. I meant that if you were going to do another tour that day (the Borghese, for example), doing that in the early morning, and then you could break/eat at your hotel before heading back out for your scheduled tour.

Understood about the food. Luckily, you will have some great fresh options for fruits and veggies at the local markets.

Have a nice trip!

If you buy food at a grocery store, for about ten centimes you can buy a plastic grocery bag at checkout.