Tickets sales brisk at revamped Colosseum
Areas of the Coliseum will be newly opened this week to visitors, including areas, such as the upper area and the underground, that have never before been available to the public. Credit: Getty/Franco Origlia
It hasn't taken long for the revamped Colosseum to become a hot attraction. Tickets for guided tours of the underground, where tourists can now see the cages for lions and tigers and where gladiators once prepared for fights, have been selling out since last week's opening.
Culture Ministry officials say it is the first time the underground has ever been open, while the upper tier had been closed since the 1970s."Only between 35 and 45 percent of the Colosseum had been accessible to the public, but now this has been doubled," Culture Ministry official Francesco Maria Giro said.
The areas have undergone a cleanup and structural work to ensure they are safe. Tours of the underground will not be offered Nov. 30-Feb. 28 due to possible flooding during the winter season.
Guided tours, which are limited to 25 people at a time, start about every 20 minutes and cost 21.50 euros (about $30). Tickets may be purchased at the Colosseum box office or reserved by phone, 011-39-06-399-67700.
