Arena of Verona Verona

When an amphitheatre was built around 2000 years ago in Verona to satisfy the desire of the roman people for ludus (games), of course they knew they were constructing something magnificent, but nobody could have really imagined that this building, originally used for gymnastic competitions, for choreographic sacrificial celebrations, for hunting games, fights and battles with humans or beasts, would have survived the passing of time always holding an important position in the public and cultural life of the city.
The Amphitheatre in Verona one of the biggest and undoubtedly the best conserved of the roman monuments. It is better known as the 'Arena', the Latin word for sand, which was used to cover the area where the games and entertainments were held. It is one of the greatest and most prestigious archaeological monuments in Europe and its size makes it the third largest amphitheatre in Europe, after the Coliseum in Rome and the Amphitheatre Campano in Campania beside Naples . Even though it is known that the Arena was built in the first century A.D. during the last years of the emperor Augustus, neither Historians nor Architects have yet agreed on the exact date of the construction. Originally the Arena was situated outside the initial roman city walls. It has stood the test of time, even though the strength of the construction has been severely tried by earthquakes.