The Spanish Colosseum that beats the one in Rome: it is better because there are never tourists and you feel like a gladiator

We thought there was only one place as epic and historic as Rome in the world, but we were wrong. Just an hour from Madrid there is an ancient city that the Romans built in 146 BC and that still preserves its amphitheater, baths, the forum, the wall and much more. It is so well preserved that it has been named an Asset of Cultural Interest and rivals Italy in magnificence.

Ségobriga, located in Saelices (Cuenca), was a Roman city that housed more than 5,000 inhabitants more than 2,000 years ago. He rose thanks to lapis specularisa highly coveted mineral in Ancient Rome whose mines were in this area. This is the reason for its spectacularity and monumentality, which can be felt in all the monuments it has.

Today, the Segóbriga Archaeological Park can be visited. The entrance costs 6 euros and allows you to access the entire site, including the Interpretation Center and the Theater, the most outstanding monument of the entire site. Inaugurated in 79 AD, its stands and semicircular floor plan are very well preserved, decorated with beautiful marble columns and sculptures. Plus, it's free on Tuesday and Friday afternoons.

Roman theater

This Roman city in Hispania was protected by a wall of more than a kilometer, whose layout has been marked on the ground, as well as its entrance gates at the cardinal points. Furthermore, given that Segóbriga is located on a hill, at the site you can see works of incredible magnitude for the time, cutting out the natural rock and using structures to compensate for the inclination of the terrain. This is especially noticeable on the forum's crypto portal.

At this site we can also visit some hot springs from the second half of the 1st century BC. C., which still maintain the remains of the changing lockers and the sauna. In addition, Segóbriga has a Roman forum from the time of Emperor Augustus. This square was the epicenter of the city, here was the market, the Senate meetings, the oldest monuments and even a civil basilica, intended for administrative affairs.

As a good self-respecting Roman city, Segóbriga does not lack the elliptical-shaped amphitheater, capable of holding 5,500 spectators and inspired by the Colosseum in Rome itself. During the visit we will be able to walk through its arena, its corridors and feel like a true gladiator. The historical adventure does not end here: outside the walls there is an aqueduct, a necropolis, a Roman circus and even a Visigothic basilica. We already have a great plan for any weekend this spring.