I’ve officially started my vacation—and I’m back in one of my favorite cities: Rome.

My first evening combined two things the city does best: food and history. Classic Roman dishes for dinner, followed by a night tour of the Colosseum.

The Notte al Colosseo event runs during the summer months and was such a highlight. Tickets are hard to come by, but well worth the effort. Seeing the Colosseum after hours is a completely different experience—fewer people, cooler temperatures, and a dramatically lit backdrop against the deep blue evening sky.

The tour takes you into areas that are normally closed during the day: the underground tunnels where animals and gladiators once waited, the ancient elevator system powered by pulleys and enslaved labor, and the remnants of a surprisingly sophisticated sewage system. There’s also a display of gladiator armor and weapons, along with context that debunks a lot of common myths.

The Colosseum held around 50,000 spectators and even had a kind of retractable roof—managed by trained sailors from the imperial navy, brought up from Naples specifically to handle the ropes and sails.

A pretty memorable way to start the trip.