On a hillside on the eastern edge of Trier, a great oval bowl cut into the slope was once the place where the Roman city went to watch gladiators and wild animals. The amphitheatre was built around the end of the first century or the early second century AD, and could hold roughly twenty thousand spectators, which was probably more than the population of the town at the time. Its arena is about seventy metres long, and beneath the sand floor ran a cellar with machinery and cages used to raise animals and scenery into view.
The Emperor Constantine is said to have had captured Frankish chieftains thrown to wild beasts here after a victory in the early fourth century, a story told in the sources and probably true in outline. In the Middle Ages, the amphitheatre, like many Roman ruins, was used as a quarry, and only the earth banks and the vaulted passages survived. Today you can walk into the arena, descend into the cellars, and sit on the grassy slopes, while concerts and a gladiator show are held there in the summer. A modest entrance fee is charged, and the site is closed on certain days in winter.
It is a place that feels more atmospheric than monumental. You enter through a stone tunnel and emerge into a green hollow with a view of vineyards on the hills above, and the quiet is a surprise after the town. From here, a short ride leads up through the vineyards to a viewpoint overlooking Trier and the Moselle, with the city's towers laid out beneath you.
For riding, the hills around Trier are ideal. The roads wind through the vineyards of the Ruwer and Saar valleys, which produce some of the best Riesling in Germany, and farther south the roads climb into the quiet forests of the Hunsrück. Irsch, a small village a few kilometres away, has little in the way of services, so the city is the best place for fuel, food and coffee.
The weather can be changeable, with fog in the valley in the autumn mornings, and warm, sunny days in summer. Spring blossom in the orchards is a bonus. Try a plate of regional food, such as Viez, an apple cider, or Saarland-style sausages, in a Trier tavern near the market.