Blood and the Arena is the title of an unprecedented immersive spectacle that recreated the splendour of the long series of events organised by the Emperor Titus between June and September of 80 AD, to mark the opening of the amphitheatre and lasting 100 days. The spectacle was presented in the arena of the amphitheatre, on the very spot where the gladiators fought.

Multimedia images, virtual reconstructions and the use of holograms projected onto a 17-metre screen offered a unique emotion. Images, lights, sounds and music enabled the audience to better understand what really happened on those days. The expectations and excitement of the public at the time were renewed through the accounts by the poet Martial, an eyewitness to the games, whose epigrams in the Liber de spectaculis enable us to recreate today the various types of shows presented, including the fantastic aquatic choreography.

Through an extraordinary interplay of lights, sounds, visual effects and a holographic display, the public were able to identify with all those who, around 2,000 years ago, witnessed the great inaugural games in the amphitheatre.