Photo: Ministero Della Cultura

Rome’s Colosseum Is Getting a Stage so Visitors Can Feel Like Gladiators

News Art + Architecture Archaeology
by Olivia Harden May 3, 2021

If you’ve always wondered what it felt like to be a gladiator in ancient Rome, you’ll soon know. Dario Franceschini, the Italian minister of culture, recently announced that a $22 million contract has been signed to install a new lightweight stage in the center of the Colosseum, according to the Associated Press.

The new stage will give visitors the view the gladiators had back in the day — the difference being this platform will be much more high-tech than the original one.

The stage was an original part of the first-century amphitheater until the 1800s when Italy removed it for archaeological digs in the underground levels of the ancient structure, Franceschini said. Thanks to this new stage, visitors will get “to see the majesty of the monument” from its center and the ancient amphitheater will be able to host cultural events.

The new stage is mobile so it can protect or air out any structures underground, and it’s also expected to be completely reversible if plans for the Colosseum change in the future. Construction of the new stage is expected to be done in 2023.

Discover Matador