Friday, December 26, 2014

Bring on the Gladiators

Today we drove south along the Adriatic coast, through quaint Lovran, to the port city of Pula on the southern tip of the Istrian peninsula.

We toured the ancient Roman amphitheater built in the first century  A.D.  It took decades to build under the reign of three Roman emperors including Augustus and Claudius. It was completed  about 80 A.D.  It could hold up to 25,000 screaming bloodthirsty fans as gladiators battled other gladiators and exotic animals to the death of the loser.

The ruins in Pula are some of the best found anywhere in the Roman world. Today it is a top tourist destination as well as a venue for outdoor summer concerts.

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