There are many exciting sites that vie for your intention and time at ancient Pompeii, but the Ampitheatre of Pompeii is a remarkable structure and is one of the most important places to visit during your time in Pompeii. In this complete guide to the Ampitheatre you’ll learn all the things to look for during your visit.
I learned many things at the Anfiteatro romano di Pompei, not least that I should have been saying amph-it-theatre instead of amp-i-theatre my whole life!
One of the other things I learned is that Amphitheatre means a circular theatre or a double theatre.
History of Pompeii’s amphitheatre
Built during the 1st century BC, it can stake a claim as the world’s oldest arena and was the site for the city’s public entertainment.
Chief among the spectacles on display were gladiator fights. As hard as it may be to imagine today, these bloodthirsty contests attracted rich and poor Pompeii citizens alike.
Hosting events in such an arena, more than a century before the Roman Colosseum or other Roman amphitheatres, was a way for Pompeii to flaunt its increasing wealth and status.
The external walls of the amphitheatre would have been covered in posters, turning gladiators into stars!
That is not to say the amphitheatre was free from scandal. One of these gladiator battles, taking place around AD 59, led to an all-out fight between two Roman settlements – Pompeii and Nuceria.
Such was the bloodshed, that Emperor Nero called for an investigation, and the Senate debarred Pompeii from holding such events for ten years!
Of course, much more death and devastation would visit the city in another form.
Within twenty years of the riot, Vesuvius erupted in 79 AD, and the amphitheatre was buried, alongside everything else within the city walls, under tonnes of ash and volcanic debris.
Volcanic material also reached the amphitheatre, which would ironically help to preserve both the amphitheatre’s structure and some of the victims who spent their final moments there.
Rediscovery
There the amphitheatre lay, undiscovered for nearly 2000 years, until Rocque Joaquin de Alcubierre accidentally unearthed ruins in 1748, leading to excitement all over Europe, as visitors came to explore this portal into the Roman world.
In the 19th century, this exploration gathered pace and under Giuseppe Fiorelli, the ruins were systematically excavated.
This grandiose elliptical structure situated at the back end of the Pompeii archaeological site was gradually uncovered and ever since it has proved to be a massive draw for visitors.
The Amphitheatre today
Much of the focus in modern times has been on how to conserve the amphitheatre, faced as it is with the natural weathering effects of the climate as well as the floods of tourists who flock to see it.
For that reason, officials at the site have taken to limiting visitor numbers at certain times of year and limiting access to certain areas.
Visiting Pompeii’s amphitheatre
Access to the amphitheatre is included with your general ticket to Pompeii. It’s very important to purchase an online ticket as early as possible (i.e. several months) before your visit if possible).
Don’t make the mistake of spending over an hour in the heat queuing for a ticket. You can find a comprehensive guide to visiting Pompeii here.
Once inside the site, you have the choice of whether to explore the amphitheatre on your own or to take a guided tour.
Here are the best two tickets to purchase for Pompeii:
Pompeii: Fast-Track Entry Ticket with Digital Audio Guide
- Priority Admission – skip-the-line entrance through a separate entrance
- Booking fee included, there are no other charges.
- Cancel for free with a 100% refund, no questions asked, up to 24 hours in advance
- Instant confirmation
- Download onto your phone to show at the entrance gate or print your ticket
- Price – the cheapest electronic ticket means no queueing in the long admissions line in the heat!
- Booking fee included, there are no other charges.
- Cancel for free with a 100% refund, no questions asked, up to 24 hours in advance
- Instant confirmation
- Download onto your phone to show at the entrance gate or print your ticket
Things to look for at the Amphitheater
If you do decide to do without a guided tour, it’s important to know what to look out for during your visit.
From outside the amphitheatre, you can see the external staircases that paying customers used to access the arena.
The arches underneath were most likely used by vendors selling the ancient equivalent of foam hands and hot dogs!
Once inside, you really get a feel for the scale of the amphitheatre and the impression it would have made in its heyday.
Like so much of the architecture of the Roman Empire, it’s almost mind-boggling to think that this excellent workmanship was carried out 2000 years ago.
Like other ancient theatres, it is a circular depression that is built into a hill or an embankment with further purpose-built retaining walls.
But unlike the Colosseum and many other Roman ampitheatres, there are no underground vaults.
The site can be fully explored, meaning you can climb up through the tiers of seating, which offers tons of photo opportunities from any number of angles.
From the top, you will also be able to enjoy a panorama of the rest of the city, as well as Mount Vesuvius.
Should you take a Guided tour?
Guided tours generally take in not just the amphitheatre, but the Forum of Pompeii and the rest of Pompeii’s major sites.
On site, at the entrances of Porta Marina e Piazza Esedra, you can actually request a tour service on the spot, between 9 a.m. and 2 p.m.
If you would rather book a tour in advance, there are a few factors you should take into consideration when booking the right package for you.
Firstly, a private tour is likely to be much more pricey than a group tour, so weigh up how important it is for you to have a personalised service.
Secondly, be sure to check if the guided tour package includes the price of admission or not! That might sound simple, but there is a real range of prices, and you don’t want to get to Pompeii and find you have to pay the archaeological park admission fee.
Thirdly, remember that, along with the more general tours, you can also find some which offer a different experience.
It might be possible to see the amphitheatre in the evening with some guides or to be taken around by an expert in archaeology or ancient art.
TIP: Skip the audioguide at Pompeii – it’s absolutely woeful!
Best Small Group Tour of Pompeii
Pompeii Ruins Skip-the-Line Small Group Tour
- 2-hour tour of Pompeii led by a professional archaeologist
- The most popular tour of Pompeii
- Fully cancellable
Special events
Occasionally, the amphitheatre is used for special events, so it is worth checking online before you come.
In recent years Dave Gilmour and King Crimson have played concerts there. It has also been the site of film screenings, including the Passion of the Christ in 2004.
On a smaller scale, the amphitheatre has been used for light shows, historical reenactments and festivals celebrating local culture.
Final thoughts
For me, Pompeii certainly gives a new ring of truth to the cliche of “bringing history alive”.
While the amphitheatre may not be as arresting as the Roman Colosseum, the way this city has been frozen in time makes it unique.
Rome is quite the opposite – a huge metropolis buzzes on top of thousands of undiscovered treasures. I almost wish some aspects of Rome’s infrastructure could be moved so archaeologists could get to work!
That sensation isn’t there in Pompeii. What hits you here is reality. The reality of daily life 2000 years ago, those people who were so different and yet so similar to us.
The reality of the horrors of the eruption. And the reality of the amphitheatre, this incredibly well-preserved marvel that transports us back to a lost civilisation.
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