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Rome’s Colosseum gets multi-million euro makeover

The first phase of a multi-million-euro makeover of Rome's Colosseum was completed Friday with Prime Minister Matteo Renzi pledging cash would be made available to spruce up other crumbling historic sites.

Rome's Colosseum gets multi-million euro makeover
The restoration project cost some €25 million. Photo: Filippo Monteforte/AFP

In a project largely funded by fashion and shoewear group Tod's, the amphitheatre where gladiators once jousted with lions has been water-sprayed to remove centuries of encrusted dirt and grime.
   
Works to strengthen the arched structures of the northern and southern facades and replace metal gates and barriers in the ground level arches have also been completed.
   
Tod's, whose billionaire owner Diego Della Valle reportedly put up €25 million for the works, said it was proud to have been part of the restoration of “a true historical symbol of Italy.”
   
The Colosseum is the latest in a string of famous Italian monuments to have been renovated with funds from private donors, often from the luxury sector.
   
Roman fashion house Fendi paid for a 16-month clean-up of the Trevi fountain which has been acclaimed by visitors. And upmarket jeweller Bulgari is behind the ongoing renovation of the Spanish steps, also located in the capital's historic centre.
   
But across the country there are many historic sites which have fallen into disrepair due to a lack of funds, most notably the ancient archaeological site of Pompeii.

Renzi vowed that would not continue. “We have to stop the arguments over Italy's cultural heritage because it is not only the thing we can be most proud of and a major part of our identity, but it also has enormous potential,” he said.


Italian Prime Minister, Matteo Renzi at the Colosseum. Photo: Gabriel Buoys/AFP
   
“The time of complaining there is no money for culture is over. Public and private, the resources are there.”
   
Renzi's government has promised €18 million ($20 million) for a second phase of renovation of the Colosseum which will involve rebuilding the arena floor and make it capable of hosting concerts and other cultural events, including re-enactments of some of the kind of shows the ancient Romans enjoyed.
   
The floor was removed by excavators in the late 19th century while the bits of the exterior structure that are missing were mostly removed for other construction projects in the city, including the underground.
   
There are also plans for a new visitor centre and the renovation of the underground vaults where wild animals and prisoners destined for public execution were kept ahead of their appearances before the Roman crowds.
   
Completed in 80 AD, the Colosseum was the biggest amphitheatre built during the Roman empire.
   
It stands 48.5 metres (159 feet) high and was capable of hosting 80,000 spectators. It now welcomes over six million visitors a year.

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ROME

Did you know: Rome wasn’t Italy’s first capital city?

With its prestigious history, famous landmarks and breathtaking art, Rome is known all over the world as Italy's capital. But was it always that way?

Did you know: Rome wasn't Italy's first capital city?

Rome is often one of the first cities to crop up when thinking of European capitals, and it’s easy to see why: its multiple treasures, including the Colosseum, the Spanish Steps and Piazza Navona, make it one of the most instantly recognisable cities in Europe, if not in the world.

But Rome hasn’t always been Italy’s capital.

In fact, there have been two Italian capitals other than the Eternal City since Italy’s Unification in 1861: Turin and Florence.

Currently the capital of Italy’s northwestern Piedmont region, Turin’s tenure as the country’s capital was fairly short-lived.

The northern city first became capital of the Kingdom of Savoy in 1559, it then became the capital of the Kingdom of Sardinia in 1713 and eventually it became capital of the Kingdom of Italy on March 17th 1861, the day that marked the country’s unification.

Turin, Italy

A view of the Mole Antonelliana, one of Turin’s most recognisable landmarks. Photo by GIUSEPPE CACACE / AFP

By 1865 however, Turin had already lost its capital status to Florence. 

The transition wasn’t exactly smooth though as the local population took to the streets to rebel against the decision on September 21st 1864. What followed is now known as the Turin massacre, in which around 60 civilians were killed.

Florence’s capital status was not long-lived either as in February 1871 – just six years after the transfer to the Tuscan city – Rome formally became the new capital of the Kingdom of Italy.

That’s not all however: a small town in southwestern Sicily claims to have been the first Italian capital as it was supposedly proclaimed so by Giuseppe Garibaldi – an Italian general that was among the leading contributors to Italy’s unification and the creation of the Kingdom of Italy – on May 14th 1860. The Sicilian town claims to have held the title for a day.

That said, according to history books, there have only been three capital cities in Italy: Turin, Florence and Rome.

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