Rome’s Colosseum gets a fresh look that recreates the footprints of long-gone columns

Rome’s Colosseum gets a fresh look that recreates the footprints of long-gone columns

ROME — The Colosseum has a bright new look following a restoration using the same travertine marble of ancient Rome to recreate parts of columns from 2,000 years ago. Thousands of Romans once flocked to this arena to watch gladiators battle each other and wild animals. The structure still captures the public’s imagination; it is Italy’s most popular tourist destination, with 9 million visitors in 2025 alone. The project focused on a semicircular…

Rome's Colosseum gets a fresh look that recreates the footprints of long-gone columns

Restorers sourced the new slabs of travertine from the same quarries where the ancient Romans retrieved theirs.