The Italian State and local Rome authorities have rubber-stamped the final plans for the 25 million Euro renovation project for the Colosseum in Rome.
The work will begin in September 2011 and is expected to last 2 to 3 years – no closures are expected during the work and, once finished, there should be 25% more ‘visitable’ areas of the Colosseum open to the public.
The work is broadly split into 6 sections:
- Replacement of the current – ugly – closures of the lower level arches.
- Repair and restoration of the north and south facades.
- Repairs to tunnels, walkways and passageways.
- Further repair work to underground areas.
- Upgrades to services and utilities.
- Creation of an external visitors centre (currently within the walls).
This last part is predicted to require an excavation of roughly 8000 square metres of soil … countdown to all work stopping in the light of an amazing archaeological discovery begins now.
Press release (in English)
Culture Ministry release (in Italian)
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