A recent proposal is to cover the floor of the Colosseum in Rome in order to use it for football matches, reenactments and other events

In 1675 Innocens XI asked Gian Lorenzo Bernini to build a church at Colosseum. However, the great architect answered, that he did not wish to touch such a monument, which did not only witness to the greatness of Rome but to the whole idea of architecture.

This has not stopped a Roman professor in Archaeology  Daniele  Manacorda, to propose the rebuilding of the floor of the Colosseum in order to use it as a site for football matches, gladiator-reenactments and other shows – you name it: The European Song Contest, ancient mock sea battles, fashions shows…

So-far the project has been met by both consternation and approval. On one hand the media are reminding the public that the same Daniele Manacorda was responsible for another wacky proposal whereby the baths of Caracalla should be remade into a golf course; a project which was recently stopped by the courts. On the other hand the Italian Minister for Cultural Affairs, Dario Franceschino, has announced on twitter and video that he likes the idea, which he claims only need a bit of courage to carry through…

The Colosseum was completed in AD 80 and was originally fitted with a wooden floor covered in sand and hiding the elaborate tunnels beneath the arena, where wild animals, Christian martyrs and doomed gladiators spent their last hours of life before being obliged to enter the stage of their death. A mighty cross remembers visitors of the solemnity of the place and each year the Pope leads a via Crucis procession to the amphitheatre on Good Friday. Every year more than 6 mill people visit the site, making it one of the most visited cultural sights in the world.

The Coliseum is one of the most famous World Heritage Sites as well as declared one of the seven new wonders of the word in 2007. Until late in the 20th century, the arena was covered by a floor. Long-delayed repairs to the 2,000-year-old monument, funded by Italian billionaire Diego Della Valle, began last September and are expected to be finished in 2016.

SOURCE:

Archaeologist Daniele Manacorda’s proposal to restore Colosseum’s area sparks Italian debate

Non trasformate il Colosseo in una scenografia

SEE MORE:

Interview with Dario Franceschino about the plans for the Colosseum