Archaeology News: Is the Colosseum Collapsing?

The Colosseum may be a fixer-upper but it’s not collapsing according to the department of the Culture Ministry responsible for Rome’s archaeological sites.  “Nothing has collapsed” at the Colosseum “since the 18th century”.

Under closer investigation, it appears that some masonry chunks and bits of plaster have
detached and fallen on Tuesday. On Christmas Day tourists found small fragments of tufo, the porous rock typical of ancient Roman monuments, on the ground. Anna Maria Moretti, the official responsible for the ancient sites, denied that any material had fallen Tuesday and noted that the tufo that detached on Dec. 25 came from a patch smaller than “five centimeters.”

The Colosseum is about to undergo an extensive 25-million euro restoration — about $33 million – sponsored by Diego Della Valle, owner of the Tod’s luxury goods brand. Work is scheduled to begin in March.

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