Culture And Media
Italy: Colosseum restoration will allow tourists to visit new areas
Rome, 27 October (AKI) - Tourists visiting one of the world's most impressive sights, the Flavian Amphitheatre also known as the Colosseum, will soon be able to visit the monument's third level, as well as a small part of the fourth level, where the plebeians and women used to stand in Roman times.
Almost 400,000 euros will be used to restore the amphitheatre's third level, currently closed to the public, and another 400,000 for the fourth level. Restoration work will begin between February and March 2010.
Roman citizens would enter the Colosseum and would sit on one of the three levels according to their status in society.
The first level was for the Emperor of Rome, Senators and Vestal Virgins. The upper classes sat on the second level.
The third level, due to be opened to the public, is where the professional and business classes sat; while the top level, or the stand-only area was for the common people, slaves and women.
In addition, the director of the Colosseum, Rossella Rea, told Italian daily Il Messaggero that two million euros are needed to restore and open the underground levels of the structure to tourists, where the gladiators and wild animals were kept before the fights.
The structure, called the Hypogeum, was a collection of 32 cages, chambers, rooms, passages and tunnels added two years after the initial construction of the Colosseum in 80 AD.
"With one million euros and two years of work, we could give back to the world a monument within the monument. The Colosseum's Hypogeum have not undergone any restoration, nor damage during the Renaissance.
The underground levels are the oldest and most well preserved part of the amphitheatre. That is where the beasts and the gladiators were kept before the fights," said Rea quoted by Il Messaggero.
"Tourists could, in theory, access the underground levels through an eight-metre deep tunnel originating in front of the Caelian Hill."
In 2008, the Colosseum was visited by almost 4.8 million tourists.
Also on Tuesday, one of Italy's largest Bronze age necropolis was found in the town of Casinalbo, located near the northern Italian city of Modena.
The 47 tombs date between 1450 and 1150 BC and were found by Italian archeologists from the region of Emilia-Romagna and from Rome.
Almost 400,000 euros will be used to restore the amphitheatre's third level, currently closed to the public, and another 400,000 for the fourth level. Restoration work will begin between February and March 2010.
Roman citizens would enter the Colosseum and would sit on one of the three levels according to their status in society.
The first level was for the Emperor of Rome, Senators and Vestal Virgins. The upper classes sat on the second level.
The third level, due to be opened to the public, is where the professional and business classes sat; while the top level, or the stand-only area was for the common people, slaves and women.
In addition, the director of the Colosseum, Rossella Rea, told Italian daily Il Messaggero that two million euros are needed to restore and open the underground levels of the structure to tourists, where the gladiators and wild animals were kept before the fights.
The structure, called the Hypogeum, was a collection of 32 cages, chambers, rooms, passages and tunnels added two years after the initial construction of the Colosseum in 80 AD.
"With one million euros and two years of work, we could give back to the world a monument within the monument. The Colosseum's Hypogeum have not undergone any restoration, nor damage during the Renaissance.
The underground levels are the oldest and most well preserved part of the amphitheatre. That is where the beasts and the gladiators were kept before the fights," said Rea quoted by Il Messaggero.
"Tourists could, in theory, access the underground levels through an eight-metre deep tunnel originating in front of the Caelian Hill."
In 2008, the Colosseum was visited by almost 4.8 million tourists.
Also on Tuesday, one of Italy's largest Bronze age necropolis was found in the town of Casinalbo, located near the northern Italian city of Modena.
The 47 tombs date between 1450 and 1150 BC and were found by Italian archeologists from the region of Emilia-Romagna and from Rome.
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