Italian Minister of Culture, Lorenzo Ornaghi, announced late last month that the long-awaited restoration of Rome's Colosseum, funded by billionaire Diego Della Valle of luxury goods company Tod's, is finally scheduled to begin this December.
The project will take place in three discrete phases scheduled over two and a half years. Beginning in December, four floors of scaffolding will cover the Colosseum's arcaded facade while workers repair cracks and clean the black soot that Rome's air pollution leaves on the stones of the 2,000-year-old structure.
During the second phase, a new visitor centre will be constructed to house the ticket office, toilets, and shops that currently line the stalls on the ground floor of the stadium. The stalls and several of the Colosseum's underground areas will be restored during the third phase, allowing an additional 25 per cent of the structure to open to the public.
Ornaghi stressed that the restoration work would not pose any inconvenience to the six million tourists who visit the monument annually.
On the 25th of December 2011, visitors to the Colosseum reported seeing pieces of rock falling from the stadium, which has also sunk 40cm on the southern side, potentially because of vibrations from local traffic.
