the colosseum is in rome, the capital of italy. more precisely, it is on the east bank of the tiber, the river that crosses the city, east of the ancient roman forum. a forum in antiquity was a geographical area in which were the main buildings of power, as well as the large square on which the population met. it was both a busy place to live, a place to get married, big parties, community meetings, and so on. the stadium was less than a kilometer to the southwest, the capitol was a little over a mile to the west.