Rome’s Colosseum to get its floor back

Ecco nelle foto Alinari come i visitatori vedevano e vivevano il Colosseo sino a poco più di un secolo fa. pic.twitter.com/i4w74IYUlB

— Dario Franceschini (@dariofrance) November 2, 2014

Last November Italy's Minister for Culture, Dario Franceschini, tweeted about a plan to create a floor for the Colosseum in Rome. The arena had a floor until the 1800s when the lower levels were excavated in parts, and then during the fascist era it was removed completely.

At today's FAI Conference (Fondo Ambiente Italiano, or the Italian National Trust) Franceschini confirmed that the project would go ahead.

It is a way to protect the monument and make it more accessible and understandable for visitors.

This would also make concerts and other cultural events possible, like in the Arena in Verona.

With TV rights for such events we could cover the costs of restoration for the whole area.

L'idea dell'archeologo Manacorda di restituire al Colosseo la sua arena mi piace molto. Basta un po' di coraggio.. pic.twitter.com/hSLBecqzqD

— Dario Franceschini (@dariofrance) November 2, 2014

Archaeologist Daniele Manacorda's idea is to construct a wooden floor to make it possible to use the central area of the arena, while still allowing the excavated areas below to be visited.

Not everyone was happy by the announcement. The President of the Cultural Heritage Council, Giuliano Volpe, said,

It would be visited above all by tourists and would risk becoming a place that would keep out local citizens. The archaeological zone of central Rome – the largest in Italy, and not only – should be a place vital and alive.

Gramilano( Editor )

Graham Spicer is a writer, director and photographer in Milan, blogging (under the name ‘Gramilano') about dance, opera, music and photography for people “who are a bit like me and like some of the things I like”. He was a regular columnist for Opera Now magazine and wrote for the BBC until transferring to Italy.

His scribblings have appeared in various publications from Woman's Weekly to Gay Times, and he wrote the ‘Danza in Italia' column for Dancing Times magazine.