The Romans are famous for their many amphitheaters. Some of them are well-preserved and continue to be used today while others are national icons (most famously the Colosseum of Rome). As Rome collapsed and with it so too is the security of the empire, some of them were re-purposed as fortified towns while others (such as the one in London) have largely disappeared from view.

The ancient Roman theater at Lucca is one of the most eye-catching. Today it is visible at the Piazza dell'Anfiteatro as a ring of buildings that follow the elliptical shape of the old amphitheater. The old Roman amphitheater was built in the second century (although its earliest origins likely date back to the 1st or 2nd century BC).