ARENA AMPHITHEATRE
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Rare Roman amphitheater fully preserved in Pula with three floors and three permanent exhibition rooms in the basement.
This is one of the few Roman amphitheatres still entirely preserved. Built under Emperor Augustus, it was enlarged under Vespasian. These monumental arenas (ellipses measuring 132 m by 105 m) have three storeys and could accommodate up to 23,000 spectators, who entered through four towers, each supported by a pilaster. In the basement, rooms for sportsmen and gladiators were linked to the central median by corridors.
In 404 AD, the last games and fights gave way to a market. Then, under Venetian rule, the amphitheater was used as a quarry. Stone was worked here.
In the basement, the present-day site houses three permanent exhibition halls, evoking the different historical periods of the town, with objects from excavations found on site, and agricultural and food-producing activities in Istria under Roman domination (viticulture, olive growing). You can walk around the outside of the amphitheatre for a general view of the building, especially in the evening when the sunset filters through the vaults and pillars. The backdrop is the port and bay of Pula. Numerous cultural events are held here, including Pula Superium, which revives the city's Roman past, Visualia (sound and light), concerts and an international film festival. For archaeology buffs, however, it's a shame that all the contemporary installations for the shows interfere with the overall view of the arena.
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