Rome is hoping again to recreate the floor of the ancient Colosseum, missing for centuries. The new plan is for a high-tech movable surface that can be pulled back to reveal the intricate underground network of tunnels and chambers that once held gladiators and wild animals before their fights.
The original floor, with many trapdoors and other fittings, disappeared over centuries, victim to earthquakes, neglect, and especially to later Romans seeing ancient buildings as a cheap source of building materials.
There’s no guarantee, of course, that the rebuilding plan will succeed; previous proposals, one as recently as 2018, ran into budget issues and controversy over what kind of projects Italy should spend money on. In recent years, with private funding, other parts of the building were restored.
The plan has a €10 million startup grant from the Italian government, and called for plans to be submitted by February 1. The timeline for construction calls for completion by 2023.
