Thumbs down! Why it's a disaster to restore the Colosseum

Giving this noble ruin a brand new floor will turn the ancient Rome monument into a bad taste film set for idiotic tourists

Italy is going to rebuild the Colosseum, the most renowned of all ancient Rome’s monuments. Once again, emperors will watch from the royal box as gladiators fight to the death and Christians are thrown to the lions.

Perhaps not quite. But Rome really is giving the arena a new floor at a cost of more than €18m. Italy’s Culture Minister Dario Franceschini calls the reflooring “a promise kept”.

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