Rome's Colosseum Collapsing Amid Restoration Delays
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Jan. 21, 2011: A general view of Rome's Colosseum, an ancient monument blackened by pollution and rocked by vibrations from a nearby subway line. The founder of Tod's luxury leather and footwear will foot the 25 million euro ($34 million) bill to restore the ancient structure.. (AP Photo/Gregorio Borgia)
The Colosseum lost another piece Tuesday as Rome's most famous monument deteriorated further ahead of a long-delayed restoration funded by an Italian billionaire now scheduled to start in March.
The chunk of volcanic rock fell from one of the iconic arches of the nearly 2,000-year-old structure just two days after a similar incident reported by a group of concerned tourists on Christmas Day put local staff on alert.
The Colosseum -- a 50,000-seat amphitheater that was completed in 80 AD and used for gladiator contests and mock sea battles -- is at the center of a busy traffic junction and is inundated with thousands of tourists every day.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}The cultural branch of the Uil trade union criticized the management of the site saying, "the monument is facing a situation of urgency."
In May 2010, falling pieces of the Colosseum also sparked concern.
Diego Della Valle, the owner of high-end shoemaker Tod's, has agreed to provide €25 million ($33 million) for a three-year restoration project that will increase by a quarter the areas to which tourists will have access.
The number of visitors to the site has gone from around one million visitors a year to around six million over the past decade -- thanks in part to Ridley Scott's 2000 epic film "Gladiator" starring Russell Crowe.