At the center of Fontana’s book about the Flavian amphitheater are his beautiful illustrations, a collection of elevations, sections, ground plans and detail drawings depicting the Colosseum in its various states of glory and decay throughout the years. The large format of Fontana’s book suggests the importance of the detailed artwork, by allowing it to reach its full potential in impressing and informing the reader.
The majority of the illustrations can be found in the first of the five books. In it, Fontana analyses and compares the currently run-down state with its original majestic appearance.
Each chapter is dedicated to one illustrated page. There may be just a single or several drawings per chapter. They always fill a full page and there are even a few illustrations that span over a full spread. Each of them has a list of contents that describes the parts of the Colosseum or points out important details. Along with these lists, Fontana includes a short descriptive text with each chapter.
There are several fonts used throughout the book and Fontana consistently structures the different parts of his book by setting his titles in all caps. Similarly, he starts his chapters with drop caps.
The book’s layout leaves a free page after every chapter so that the new chapter always starts on the right-hand page.
Throughout the book, Fontana keeps his text in a single column and by centering it, allows for a wide margin. At the end of book five, there is an index of all the books, chapters and subchapters which also includes page numbers. There is no illustration index, but the drawings have been numbered from one to twenty-four.
Fontana writes this book intending to inform the learned reader on the rich and complex history of the Flavian amphitheater. His extensive research covers not only technical and architectural aspects of the construction but also the sociopolitical importance which the building has gained through its many sacred and secular uses.
Furthermore, Fontana expresses a wish to have the colosseum restored to its former glory in the final chapter of the book. His book therefore also serves as a justification to spend state money on the rebuilding of the Amphitheatre, which has somewhat lost its meaning and purpose in modern-day society.