jmp

I was just speaking to a coworker about my upcoming trip to Rome and she metioned that there are "Gladiators" by the Colloseum who will take pictures with you or take your picture and when you ask for your camera back they say that you have to give them $100. She said that she read this in Conde Nast Traveler recently.

Anyone heard anything about this?

swalter518

I didn't have that experience but had the experience on a trip about 7 years ago when I was in Rome with a friend who is American but speaks fluent Italian. The "gladiators" quoted a price of about $5 for a picture which we thought was worth it for a funny picture. After the picture they tried to double the price (and had our camera!) My fried proceeded to curse them out in Italian and grabbed the camera back and told them she wasn't paying a dime. We then walked away with them swearing back at us!

BATUFFOLINA

I have been recently to see the Nike exhibition at the Colusseum and I have spent some time outside the monument while waiting for my friend, so I watched the "gladiators" and no, as far as I am concerned there were to thief-gladiators. Actually you use the camera to make a picture WITH the gladiator, that's what tourists do, but if you are alone and have no friend around that can take a picture of you with the gladiator, it can happen that you handle the camera to one of them and they take advantage of the fact that you dont speak the language. But sometimes there are policemen there around so one could call a policeman. OR...as most of these gladiators are actually illegal, if something like that happens, one can threaten them by not only call the police but also reporting that they are working illegally there.
By the way: It was my friend who works at the Colusseum who told me that these gladiators are actually illegally working there, but they are decorative and maybe it is for this reason that the police doesnt kick them off. But I cant say now if she told me something she had hear from her colleagues (colleagues "gossip&quot or if this is true. Now go and see who's right...

lorilouise

I have only been to Rome twice but both times the Gladiators were only to happy to pose w/our pretty teenage daughters. They didn't ask for a specific price, but of course we paid them, just like you "make a contribution" when you get a picture with any street performer. Frankly, it was such a pleasant experience for all that I thought they were employed by the Italian tourist bureau running the Coliseum.

Mischka

We had no problems with the gladiators and certainly didn't pay them a lot of money, can't remember how much exactly. They were very friendly and we have some wonderful, funny pics to show. They also didn't charge us per photo. I think it's a lovely idea and would do it again.