No one was hurt and tourist visits to the Colosseum went ahead on Sunday after three chunks of mortar fell off an interior wall during Saturday night. They were found at 6 am on Sunday, as staff arrived to prepare the building for opening to the public at 8.30 am.
The pieces, together measuring about 0.5 square metres, had their fall partly cushioned by protective netting installed in the 1980s. The area of wall involved had already been scheduled for maintenance work and has now been cordoned off.
Culture Undersecretary Francesco Giro admitted that mortar falls are nothing new at the 2000-year-old monument and announced that a consortium is in the final stages of negotiating a contract for the restoration of the entire building.
Under the plan, all walls will be restored and cleaned, new protective fences will be installed between the lowest arches, the third tier and underground tunnels will be made safe and new fire and security systems will be installed, including unobtrusive metal detectors. Following the restoration, the building will be permanently illuminated, reports ANSA.
Only one problem remains – raising the money. The restoration will cost around 50 million euros [£43,068,700 or $63,888,521] and the Mayor of Rome is considering asking for international aid to fund the project.
Do you think that other countries should help pay for the restoration?
