Europe
ROME — Only a few living souls are inside the Colosseum these days: a team of security guards, some maintenance workers and a family of hedgehogs, who live in the bowels and have grown bolder without so many people around.
In normal times, the Colosseum would be teeming with visitors — 3,000 at any minute, 7.5 million in a year. But in 2020, only 1.5 million came through the gates. And since Italy re-tightened restrictions in November, the site has been closed off to the public entirely.
Federica Valabrega for The Washington Post
The maintenance crew doesn’t have much need to fence off its work areas, with no tourists to keep out.
Federica Valabrega for The Washington Post
Federica Valabrega for The Washington Post
Geraldo Mannillo and the other security guards make the rounds, generally finding nothing of concern.
Federica Valabrega for The Washington Post
Federica Valabrega for The Washington Post
Depending on the moment, the amphitheater built two millennia ago for mass spectacles is for now a strange mix of nature reserve and construction site. The only occasional noise comes from a walkie-talkie or bird.
Federica Valabrega for The Washington Post
Under the winter sun, shadows stretch across the mazelike, exposed ruins of the basement.
Federica Valabrega for The Washington Post
Federica Valabrega for The Washington Post
For the few lucky enough to enter, there is magic in the near-silence.
Federica Valabrega for The Washington Post
Federica Valabrega for The Washington Post
The lockdown has a convenient element, as it provides a window of opportunity for repair work. In recent weeks, workers have renovated the bathrooms, strengthened several arches and sealed leaky areas in the bricks.
Federica Valabrega for The Washington Post
“We can work much more freely now,” said Giovanni De La Cruz, the maintenance manager.
Federica Valabrega for The Washington Post
Federica Valabrega for The Washington Post
Carlo Morra cleans the brick walls with a sponge and brush.
Federica Valabrega for The Washington Post
Federica Valabrega for The Washington Post
The people who manage the Colosseum, though, say the current situation is unsustainable. The site, along with an abutting archaeological area that includes the Roman Forum, is normally so profitable that it pumps a share of its revenue back into the government. Last year, the Colosseum and the Forum lost 51 million euros (about $63 million).
Federica Valabrega for The Washington Post
A small museum space has been filled since October with ancient statues and paintings from Pompeii. Virtually nobody has seen the exhibit.
Federica Valabrega for The Washington Post
Federica Valabrega for The Washington Post
Alfonsina Russo oversees the Colosseum, Palatine Hill and the Roman Forum.
Federica Valabrega for The Washington Post
Federica Valabrega for The Washington Post
“There is a great sense of emptiness,” said Alfonsina Russo, the Colosseum and archaeological park’s director, during a recent Washington Post visit.
Federica Valabrega for The Washington Post
Russo led us up to the Colosseum’s highest level, normally off-limits to tour groups and enjoyed primarily by sea gulls.
Federica Valabrega for The Washington Post
Federica Valabrega for The Washington Post
“It’s my favorite vantage point,” Russo said.
Federica Valabrega for The Washington Post
Federica Valabrega for The Washington Post
She guided us back down to the ground level. Paces away from the central oval where gladiators did battle, a chute leads to a tunnel once used by emperors who wanted to make a grand, secret entrance into the arena.
Federica Valabrega for The Washington Post
But now the tunnel felt more like a mine shaft. It was dark and damp.
Federica Valabrega for The Washington Post
Federica Valabrega for The Washington Post
Russo pointed to the ceiling, and a security guard shined his flashlight. A team of experts had painstakingly cleaned black crust and smog from the stucco, restoring designs and patterns — including this 1st-century figure from the courtship of Dionysus.
Federica Valabrega for The Washington Post
Federica Valabrega for The Washington Post
The tunnel was starting to look more befitting of an emperor. The dark passage still had some hoses and other equipment lying around, as well as a yard-sale-style pile of stone ruins. But Russo said there were plans — over the next year or so — to open the tunnel to tourists.
Federica Valabrega for The Washington Post
“Someday,” Russo said, “we’d like to have people see this.”
Federica Valabrega for The Washington Post
Federica Valabrega for The Washington Post