Colosseum’s Underground Opens to Public
The Colosseum has long been one of the main attractions in Rome and Italy for that matter. But if you have already visited in the past, you might want to start booking you next trip soon as its subterranean levels will open to the public for the first time ever.
The labyrinth of subterranean passageways, rooms and cages from which gladiators and prisoners used to wait before emerging from trap doors into the arena, will open Friday.
“This was the backstage of the shows that went on in the arena. [It is the location for] all the preparation, even the technology — they brought props, men and animals up into the arena through a series of elevators and cargo lifts,” Alfonsina Russo, director of the Colosseum Archaeological Park, told CNN of the freshly restored “hypogeum,” as the underground corridors are known. “This restoration is absolutely important for the archaeological research, because it enables us to reconstruct its history.”
The Colosseum is Italy’s most popular tourist attraction. It has been undergoing a comprehensive restoration since 2011. The project was initiated by Italian fashion house Tod’s, which has given $30 million to the effort. It has been carried out in three major phases, starting with a thorough clean of the monument’s façade, and then moving to the underground areas. A small portion of the hypogea was opened to the public in 2016.
CNN says that archaeologists, restorers, engineers and architects used photographic surveys, surface mapping, and the slow and meticulous job of washing away centuries of dirt, deposits and microorganisms such as algae and lichen. In some parts, they had to remove traces of previous restorations, which had decayed over time, and replaced them with what they describe as more authentic materials.
“During these months that the Colosseum has been closed, we were able to do massive work that we wouldn’t have been able to do with daily visitors,” Alfonsina Russo told Italian newspaper Corriere.it earlier in the year.
The opening of the underground section marks the end of the restoration project, but it’s not the end of the works at the Colosseum. The Ministry of Culture announced plans to build a wooden arena that will cover the hypogea, giving an idea of how the Colosseum used to be. Concerts and other types of cultural events will soon be held at the Colosseum as well.
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“All roads lead to Rome.” Few if any cities in the world offer as much history to explore as Rome does. Definitely hope to visit the Colosseum again to see the underground portions, thanks for the news.