Region: -Sofia
Rooms: 59
Quadrature: 5000 m²
Floor: 7

Point: Center

Status: „Arena di Serdica” is the newest 5 star Residence hotel in Sofia

An ancient Roman amphitheater is appropriately exposed in the grounds of the hotel. Dating back to the 3rd century A. D. it was discovered during the construction works in 2004 and makes the hotel second to none in the world. It combines the spirit of ancient Serdica with all modern facilities for business and relaxation.

Strategically located in the heart of the city, right next to the main state institutions, business centers and banks, as well as to the cultural and historical places of interest in Sofia, the luxurious “Arena di Serdica” hotel is an excellent choice for business and cultural trips. The distance from the hotel to Sofia International Airport is 10 km and to the Central Railroad and Bus Stations 4 km. Arena di Serdica” Hotel has 64 spacious and cozy rooms and apartments, ready to completely meet the expectations of the most exacting guests for modern hotel comfort, exquisite style and 5 star luxury. At your service we offer:

Shuttle Services
Express Checkout
Credit Cards Accepted
Safety deposit box available
Around-the-clock room service
Laundry and dry-cleaning
Indoor parking garage
Tourist services
Guided Tours
Rent-A-Car services
Babysitting (upon request)

Situated on the quiet lower level of the ancient ruins,
the Wellness club offers unique atmosphere:
Fully equipped air-conditioned gymnasium
Personal training with experienced gym istructors
Steam bath and sauna
Solarium
Beautifully appointed treatment rooms
Treatment menu including beauty treatments, body therapies and massages
Personal consultation by qualified therapist
The Business Center is a fully-equipped workplace offering secretarial and business services:

A desktop computer

Space for a notebook computer
Phone/Fax
Laser printer
Cable Internet
Word Processing
Translation/Interpreting
Copying
Data transfer

RELAX LOUNGE

The relaxation area is unique. It is in the midst of the ancient walls of the antique amphitheater of Serdica, emanating calmness and warmth, harmonically complemented by an intimate touch of aromas and gentle effect of the chill-out music.

GYMNASIUM

STEAM BATH

SAUNA

SOLARIUM

MASSAGES & TREATMENTS
Restaurants & Bar

Our staff will greet you with a sincere smile and will offer you culinary temptations that will provoke your imagination in "La Tribuna" Bistro, in the "La Terrazza di Serdica" Panoramic View Restaurant, as well as in the "Terra Antica" Lobby Bar. You will be delighted to explore the connoisseur beverage list.

‘’LA TERRAZZA DI SERDICA ’’ RESTAURANT
Panoramic-view restaurant with elegant and stylishinterior 44 seats
International cuisine
Fine wine selectionSpacious and elegantly separated compartment forprivate eventsA sunny terrace with a magnificent view towards the Vitosha mountain and the city centerEvents possibilities - cocktail parties, weddings, receptions etc.

‘’LA TRIBUNA ’’ BISTRO
Classic interior
70 seats
International cuisine
Weekly lunch menu
Fine wine selection
Neat interior garden
Events possibilities - cocktail parties up to 100 guests, weddings, receptions...

“TERRA ANTICA’’ LOBBY BAR
Unconventional interior with a view towards the archaeological relics of the antique amphitheater of Serdica.
40 seats
Two levels
Rich choice of liquor, cocktail drinks and soft beveragesConference bar at the level of the AmphitheaterEvents possibilities - cocktail parties for up to 200 guests, weddings, receptions, fashion shows, presentations ...
“Arena di Serdica” Hotel has 64 spacious and cozy rooms and apartments, ready to completely meet the expectations of the most exacting guests for modern hotel comfort, exquisite style and 5 star luxury.





CLASSIC ROOMS


EXECUTIVE ROOMS


EXECUTIVE ROOM FOR DISABLED PEOPLE


JUNIOR SUITES


DELUXE SUITES


ARENA DI SERDICA APARTMENT
Arena di Serdica Residence Hotel has four multifunctional conference halls – Arena, Forum, Serdica and Sofia. They all have a state-of-the-art equipment and can be customized to meet the purpose of your business event. Arena Hall - the largest of them, has interpretation booths. The conference bar where you can take a coffee break, is at the level of the amphitheatre.
ARENA HALL
Arena Hall has 80 seats

FORUM HALL
Forum Hall has 20 seats

SERDICA HALL
Serdica Hall has 40 seats

SOFIA HALL
Sofia Hall has 30 seats

Excavations
AMPHITEATRUM SERDICENSE
THE AMPHITEATER OF SERDICA (AMPHITEATRUM SERDICENSE)

A slate was found in 1919 not far away from the Government building in Sofia. It depicted gladiator fights between men and predators. This artifact was a sure sign that there was a gladiator fights arena on the territory of ancient Serdica (modern Sofia). It was a known fact eversince that the amphitheater existed but its exact whereabouts were not clear.

Serdica used to be an important trade and political center in the past. The large and well-developed city was built like Rome, with broad cobbled streets, a forum, beautiful shrines and imposing buildings with a magnificent decoration. At that time Serdica was the capital city of the Eastern internal province Dakia – a part of the Great Roman Empire.


Some 85 years after the finding of the slate, in 2004, a wall from Roman times was accidentally discovered during construction works of the newest hotel of the FPI Hotels & Resorts chain – Arena di Serdica. Archaeological excavation commenced. Archaeologist Zharin Velichkov, head of the project, had no doubt – what was found was the Amphitheater of Serdica! Surprises kept coming, though. Research of the site showed that there was a theater 5 meters beneath the amphitheater. It was built in 2nd or 3rd century A.D. i.e. about 100 years before the amphitheater was built in 3rd or 4th century A. D. These are the largest buildings from the age of ancient Serdica, evidencing its prosperity throughout the centuries. The find was declared unique and the discovery – unmatched in the world!

77 antique amphitheaters have discovered in the world so far. The largest one is the Colosseum in Rome. The Arena of Serdica (60.5 m long and 43 m wide) is only 10 m smaller. Only nine share the same architectural design with the Sofia one (its sitting part only encircles half of the arena). Yet the amphitheater of Serdica is the only one in the world, combining a Roman theater and a late-antique amphitheater at the same place, and the only such building on the Balkan Peninsula. This makes the site really unique and its discovery – sensational. It is a fact that no capital or city in the world boast a combined theater and amphitheater in its very center. Research shows that the amphitheater of Sofia is twice as large as the one in Plovdiv and at least ten times as large as the Roman ruins in Hisarya and Devnya.

The multitude of coins and pottery, found by archaeologists on the site, have helped the scientists to precisely pinpoint the time of building of the amphitheater of Serdica: the end of 3rd century – the beginning of the 4th. Its construction has begun during the reign of emperor Diocletian and was completed during the reign of Constantine the Great. Theodosius I issues and edict in the end of 4th century, banning the spectacles that took place on the arena, depriving it of its function of an important community building. It was then left to fall apart. The building material from it was plundered as if it was a brick and stone pit and its ruins were used to build living premises. It is thought that people lived around the amphitheater till the end of 6th century.


The archaeological excavations are funded by Fair Play International AD, which invests in the large project of restoration, preservation and exhibition of this unique historical monument. The find, described by archaeologists and architects as unique, priceless and sensational, forced some changes in the architectural blueprints of the Arena di Serdica Hotel. Its very concept went through significant changes. It is entirely within the legislation of the Republic of Bulgaria which protects the national historic and cultural treasures.
Today, 17 centuries later, the amphitheater accepts guests once again, thanks to the efforts of the company. Its walls have kept their genuine look, the arena is covered with sand as it used to be in the past, and the clay tiles still bear the footprints of the animal (goats, dogs, cats) that died in the ferocious gladiator fights. One can see the dressing rooms of the actors who performed on the stage and the East Gate Entrance where the chariots passed during the gladiator fights. Seven stone spectator seats have been preserved and set into their original places. A dwelling place and a furnace, dating back to the 5th-6th century, as well as a well from the 4th-5th century have been exposed. Additional constructions, coins and pottery from the time of the Ottoman Empire have also been discovered.

The access to the archaeological exposition is free today. 1/6 of the amphitheater of Serdica that has been restored and is on the Arena di Serdica hotel territory, is exposed in a most appropriate way and anyone can walk around and explore the excavations between 10.00 am and 4 p.m. Tuesday to Sunday.

Arena di Serdica hotel is a living proof that modern buildings can live in harmony with what we have inherited from the past.


Coins

Archaeological research of the exposed 1/6 of the amphitheater of Serdica has found 616 coins, dating back to the rule of several Roman emperors. Most of them are made of copper and bronze, some are covered with silver and only one of them is covered with gold. The coins were minted mostly in the East – Thesalonica, Siscia, Nikomedia, Constantinople, Cisic, Antiohia and Alexandria. There are some western coins, minted in workshops in Rome, Aqualea and Ticinum.

There are coins from the rule of:
Emperor Caracalla (211 – 217) – coins, dating back to the earliest times
Emperor Maximian (296-305)Emperor DiocletianEmperor Constantine the Great (305-337)Emperor Galerius (309/311-317)Emperor Laelianus Emperor Constantine I (319-324/330)Emperors Constantine II, Constantius II and Constans II (337 – 355) – sons of emperor Constantine the GreatEmperor Julian the Apostate (361 – 363) and his heir emperor Jovian (363 – 364)Emperors Valens and Valentinian I (364/367-375)Emperor Marcian (450-457) Emperor Emperor Anastasius (508-512)Emperor Justinian (540-565)Emperor Theodosius I, Valentinian II and Arcadius (383 – 392) - coins, dating back to the latest times


Pottery
Fragments of pottery, used daily, as well as pottery from the 16th-19th century. It is assumed that at this time or later on a building was erected on the top of the antique walls. Two furnaces of Turkish bricks have been found that belonged to it. Some Ottoman coins have been found as well. One of them dates back to 1687 and was minted in Constantinie (Istambul). A large number of fragments and decorated vessels set the period of the whole collection – from the end of the 14th till the 18th century. Most valuable from an artistic point of view are the elements from the so called Turkish faience from the 14th century.

Various animals have been found in the antique layers that have lived in the amphitheater of Serdica – bears, a camel, a bull, a buffalo, goats, dogs.