An important family with ties to the Colosseum in the Middle Ages is the Frangipane clan, who took up residence inside the ancient edifice and erected a fortress, the earliest evidence of which dates to 1133. The fortress occupied 11 arcades on the first and second tiers on the Colosseum’s northeastern side, allowing maximum visibility over an area stretching from the Velian Ridge to the Caelian Hill. It consisted of a defensive tower located at the amphitheater’s original eastern entrance and a chemin de ronde along its southern face, from which the two outermost galleries had already disappeared. There are still some traces of this fortified walkway: along the top of the inner ring on the monument’s first floor, the cavities that once housed the chemin de ronde’s supporting beams can still be seen.

The palace/fortress was part of the well-known defensive system used by the baronial families of Rome, in constant conflict with one another for control of the city. In this case, the territory in question stretched from the Palatine Forum and Colosseum valley up to the entrance to the Lateran Palace, where the Pope resided. Over the course of the 13^th century, the Frangipane clan eventually lost control of their fortress, having been ousted by the noble Annibaldi family, who occupied the site until the late 14^th century.