Finally you can see from Top to bottom
Underground dungeons at Rome’s Colosseum, considered to be one of the great feats of Roman architecture and where gladiators once locked in mortal combat, it’s ALL open to the public for the first time.Roman amphitheatre have never been opened for public viewing – an upper area of the ancient monument that had been closed since the 1970s. But recent restoration work, coupled with the need for more space at the Colosseum, have led Italy’s heritage ministry to grant permission for larger areas to be made available for public access.
It will be the first time that people will be able to go down into the places where the shows and games were organised. The idea came up to give visitors more space at one of the most visited monuments in Italy, colosseo was the scene for mock sea battles, pitting warriors against animals and re-enactment of famous battles in Roman times.
There gladiators once prepared for battle, and animals were caged before being transported by lifts up to the central fighting arena.Built by the Roman emperor Vespasian, the amphitheatre could seat 50,000 spectators who would gather to watch gladiatorial contests and sometimes executions.
The visitors will enter the “bowels” of the Colosseum, from the Porta Libitina- the “Gate of Death” through which the bodies of the dead were carried outside the amphitheatre.The Colosseum, which was visited by about 4.5 million people in the first eight months of 2010, is in a sorry state and before the re-opening of the new areas, only 35 percent of the monument was accessible to visitors.
Earlier this year, falling chunks of mortar plunged through a protective netting, rekindling the debate about visitors’ safety at the monument and, more generally, the state of Italy’s archaeological treasures. In July the culture ministry were looking for a private sponsors to plug a 25 million euro gap in funding for restoration and clean-up worl.
Rea said that more than 18,000 people come to see the amphitheatre every day and conditions had become cramped for visitors.The newly opened areas will be accessible to guided tours of a maximum of 25 people at a time. So, don’t miss the oportunity to see the places where once the gladiators prepared for fights and lions and tigers were caged.
