The Amphitheatre in S. Maria Capua Vetere, is the second largest amphitheatre of ancient Italy. The only larger ampitheatre is the Colosseum in Rome. It was built between the I and II century A.C., on top of the ruins of a similar structure. (It was the ampitheatre beneath this ampitheatre where Spartacus was trained to be a gladiator.) The ampitheatre was inaugurated in 155 A.C. by Antonino Pio. It was destroyed, first by the Vandals, then by the Saracens and was then used as a fortress by the Longobard princes of Capua.
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As we were driving to Caserta to listen to General Converence with the missionaries, we drove very close to the Capua Ampitheatre and stopped so the couple with us could see it.
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| If you look very closely you can see the outline of markings that look similar to a sun. These lines are the pattern for the arches in the ampitheatre. All the blocks were cut according to this pattern so that every arch would be identical. |
Italy really is an amazing country!
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