Visitors to Rome can begin to enjoy
the fruits of a multi-million euro restoration project at the
Colosseum after the first five clean arches were unveiled on
Monday.
Workmen removed the protective sheet covering the arches
on the Forum side of the nearly 2,000 year-old Flavian
amphitheatre, allowing Romans and tourists to get a glimpse of
the restored travertine stonework in yellow, ivory, ochre and
honey-coloured hues.
The scaffolding on the arches will now take around two
weeks to be fully dismantled.
In the meantime new scaffolding will go up around five more
arches towards Via Labicana in readiness for the next stage of
cleaning.
In total 80 arches will be cleaned in the first phase of
restoration, with completion scheduled for March 2016.
Cleaning is done using pure water that is sprayed onto the
facade.
This dissolves the bulk of the impurities in four-six
hours, with conservators following up with soft brushes and
sponges to remove more stubborn dirt.
Subsequently plaster is applied to damaged marble and
cement used in earlier restorations is removed.
The project - which also includes replacing the Colosseum's
84 metal gates - is being funded by Diego Della Valle, patron of
the shoe manufacturer Tod's, to the tune of 25 million euros.
"We hope operations such as this might proliferate
increasingly because our country is rich in beautiful monuments
and locations that deserve to be restored and made available for
everyone to enjoy," said Della Valle.
"We trust that many more companies, besides those that are
already on board, might join in this great project in support of
our country," he concluded.
Restoration of the Flavian amphitheatre began in late 2013
after long delays.
Following completion of the facelift the cultural
authorities plan to construct a 1,600 sqm visitor centre with
all the usual facilities before moving on to restoration of the
inside of the elliptical monument.
Construction of the Colosseum was started by emperor
Vespasian in 70 AD and completed by his successor Titus ten
years later.
With an estimated capacity of up to 80,000 spectators, it
was used to host gladiatorial contests and public spectacles.
Today it is the major tourist attraction in Rome.
ALL RIGHTS RESERVED © Copyright ANSA
