The hook
A gigantic Roman amphitheatre, one of the largest and best-preserved in the world, rising with astonishing completeness out of a small Tunisian town, a colosseum you can wander almost alone.
01Why it's worth it
In Roman times this was Thysdrus, a wealthy town grown rich on olive oil, and it built itself a colosseum to match its ambitions: a vast stone amphitheatre that seated perhaps 35,000 spectators, among the largest in the entire empire and comparable to the Colosseum in Rome. What makes El Djem so remarkable is how much survives and how accessible it is: much of the towering outer wall and the tiered seating stand intact, and you can walk the arena floor, climb the terraces, and descend into the underground passages where gladiators and animals once waited, often with hardly another visitor around, a stark contrast to the crowds at Rome's Colosseum. Rising incongruously over the low rooftops of a modest modern town, it is a genuinely jaw-dropping sight and a vivid, uncrowded encounter with the scale of Roman provincial power. A nearby museum displays fine mosaics from the surrounding villas.
02How to experience it
Explore the amphitheatre thoroughly, arena floor, seating tiers, and the underground chambers, ideally early or late to beat the heat and have it to yourself. See the local museum's mosaics too. It sits on the route between Tunis and the south, an easy and unforgettable stop.