Italy’s iconic Colosseum building in the country’s capital is to receive a new stage, offering visitors a new majestic view of the structure the same way Gladiators saw it, Associated Press reports.
According to Dario Franceschini, Italy’s culture minister, originally the famous first-century amphitheatre in Rome did have a stage which would have hosted combat and gladiatorial shows back in its prime. Although this was still in place until the 1800s, it was then removed to make way for archaeological digs on the amphitheatre’s subterranean levels.
However, the recently announced €18.5 million project will see a new stage built, a retractable high-tech and lightweight stage structure, made using a mobile system able to quickly cover or uncover the underground structures below. This means it can be used to both protect the structures from rain as well as allow them to be aired out. The project is also reversible so can be removed if plans for the Colosseum change in the future.
The construction of the Colosseum stage will restore the building’s traditional “arena” area, giving visitors a central viewpoint from within the ancient structure. They will be able to stand in the centre and view the Colosseum’s vaulted walls, just the way they would have been seen by gladiators in ancient Rome. Franceschini described the new project as enabling visitors “to see the majesty of the monument” and said that the new stage will also be used to host cultural events that are respectful of the Colosseum as a symbol of Italy. The project is planned to be completed by 2023.
