Colosseum

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American Impaled at Rome's Colosseum
US Tourist Nearly Dies
in Colosseum Stunt
in case you missed it
May 10, 2025 3:55 PM CDT

US Tourist Nearly Dies in Colosseum Stunt

Man ran into trouble while trying to scale fence: reports

(Newser) - An American tourist was impaled on a fence around Rome's Colosseum on Friday and left hanging for 20 minutes, according to reports. The 47-year-old US man living in Taiwan was vacationing with friends and family when he tried to climb over the metal fence in the large square in...

'Gladiators' Will Fight in the Colosseum Again

It's a tourist contest from Airbnb, and not everyone is thrilled about it

(Newser) - The ancient Roman Colosseum will be the venue of gladiator fights—albeit staged—for the first time in two millennia under a $1.5 million sponsorship deal with Airbnb that aims to promote "a more conscious tourism," per the AP . Critics beg to differ.
  • The contest: Eight of
...

Tourist Says Sorry for Marring Colosseum
Colosseum Vandal
Has an Odd Excuse
Jul 6, 2023 9:13 AM CDT

Colosseum Vandal Has an Odd Excuse

Ivan Dimitrov, 31, of Bristol, England, claims he didn't realize how old the Rome landmark was

(Newser) - A tourist from the UK who was tracked down after etching the names of himself and his girlfriend into Rome's famous Colosseum has been fully identified and is now offering his apologies. "I admit with deepest embarrassment that it was only after what regrettably happened that I learned...

Italy Finds Tourist Filmed Carving Names in Colosseum

Culture minister suggests UK man will be prosecuted for defacing monument

(Newser) - The tourist filmed carving the names of himself and his fiancee into Rome's Colosseum has been identified. Italy's culture minister did not identify him other than to say his name is, indeed, believed to be Ivan (which, along with "Haley," is what was carved into the...

US Tourists Pick Wrong Place to Have 5:30am Beer in Rome

The Colosseum is neither a bar, nor open at that hour

(Newser) - Two American tourists, chatting over a beer in Rome. Unremarkable. That it happened at 5:30am is a little odder. That they allegedly broke into the Colosseum and threw one back there is downright strange—and, as you might imagine, illegal. The Guardian reports the 24- and 25-year-old men were...

Tourists Can Visit Gladiators' Underground Chambers

The amphitheater's 'backstage' is restored and open

(Newser) - You can get backstage passes to the Colosseum in Rome, now. The giant landmark, also known as the Flavian Amphitheater, has been undergoing renovations for years now with the help of an Italian fashion brand, and the latest project has been to make the hypogeum more accessible to the public....

Critics on Colosseum Overhaul: 'Italy Seen Via Las Vegas'

High-tech $18M stage will cover up structure's subterranean chambers, offering a 'gladiator's view'

(Newser) - If you're one of the millions who've converged upon the Colosseum in Rome, your past visits likely included wandering around the seating area and peering down into the underground chambers. In a couple of years, tourists there will have the chance to participate in a new activity: taking...

Latest Stadium Upgrade Is to the Colosseum

A retractable floor will be added, covering tunnels that fighters used to pop up on cue

(Newser) - A modern ballpark typically serves a US city for 20 to 25 years, a sports economic expert says, per USA Today . Rome's Colosseum, by contrast, was used for four centuries, so it's not surprising that the place needs some work. Italy is now launching a renovation that will...

Lego's Biggest Set Ever Is 'Awe-Inspiring'

Toy company debuts Rome's Colosseum, a 9,036-piece set due out on Black Friday

(Newser) - If you've already finished building the Millennium Falcon and the Death Star, Lego Group has an "awe-inspiring" new challenge for you. In what it's touting as its "largest Lego brick set created to date," the Danish company last week unveiled its 9,036-piece replication of...

They Were Once 'Cheap Seats' of Colosseum. Now, Priceless

Newly restored top levels are now open to tourists

(Newser) - Visitors to the Colosseum can now enjoy even more of the ancient amphitheater and the spectacular views it offers of Rome. Officials on Tuesday showed off the newly restored fourth and fifth levels of the Colosseum, which are opening to the public for guided tours starting Nov. 1. Included in...

US Tourists Scratch Initials Into Colosseum Wall

They have apologized, saying they didn't realize it was such a serious offense

(Newser) - Rome's storied Colosseum—an "incomplete building that has already been robbed," as one spokesperson recently put it—is certainly no stranger to depraved behavior, in its prime hosting gladiators fighting to the death and as many as 73,000 unruly spectators. The latest in its storied history...

Surprise Find: Seating Plan for Rome's Colosseum

Restorers uncover red paint that survived for centuries

(Newser) - Spectators who once flocked to Rome's Colosseum could find their seats with the help of red numbers painted over entrance archways. What's amazing is that hints of that paint still remain, Discovery reports. A team restoring the Colosseum has spotted remnants of it in Latin numerals carved high...

Tourist to Pay Big-Time Over Colosseum Vandalism

Russian man was caught in the act

(Newser) - A Russian tourist has been hit with an eye-watering $25,000 fine for doing what visitors have done for thousands of years: leave their mark on Rome's Colosseum. The man was caught in the act of inscribing a 10-inch-tall letter "K" on a wall inside the ancient building,...

Tourists Won't Be Able to Touch Colosseum Anymore

Iron columns will protect visitors from falling debris

(Newser) - The days of getting up close and personal with Rome's iconic Colosseum are coming to an end. The monument will soon be ringed by a protective barrier to keep tourists out of the reach of falling debris. Cast iron columns will be erected anywhere from 15 to 50 feet...

Ailing Colosseum Getting $30M Overhaul

Tod's founder bankrolling much-needed facelift, to begin in December

(Newser) - Italian cultural officials have announced that the $30 million restoration of the Colosseum financed by the founder of luxury leather good maker Tod's will begin in December. Officials said the work is expected to take two and a half years, during which time the monument will remain open to...

Rome's Storied Trevi Fountain Crumbling

Budget cuts endangering city's ancient heritage

(Newser) - If Rome's famous Trevi fountain could chuck a coin into itself and make a wish, it would probably ask for some TLC. The 280-year-old monument's stucco reliefs are crumbling and a gargoyle's head came tumbling down on the weekend, reports the Guardian . Officials blame the damage on...

Gladiator Thugs Busted at Colosseum

Cop centurions sent in as Rome cracks down on racketeers

(Newser) - Gladiators and centurions clashed in front of Rome's Colosseum this week as police attempted to crack down on thugs targeting tourists. Undercover officers dressed as centurions were sent in to investigate the dozens of fake gladiators, centurions, and Roman legionnaires who make their living outside the ancient stadium, posing...

Students Take Over Tower of Pisa

Protesters also jump turnstiles, enter Colosseum, hang banner

(Newser) - On the heels of yesterday's protests in London, thousands of Italian students took their complaints about education cuts to the Leaning Tower of Pisa and the Colosseum—among other places—today, clogging roads and railways in the process. At the tower, about 20 students managed to breach security and unfurl...

Climate Activists Scale Colosseum

Greenpeace protesters urge Copenhagen deal

(Newser) - As the sun rose over the Colosseum in Rome this morning, something else was going up: Greenpeace activists climbed the first two tiers of the ancient building in a demonstration urging a climate change deal at Copenhagen. Protesters dressed in orange jumpsuits held up a banner reading, "Copenhagen: Make...

Google Unearths 3D Ancient Rome

Users can surf city streets of 320 AD

(Newser) - Google Earth is providing users the opportunity to surf the streets of Ancient Rome via a 3D virtual reconstruction of the city as it was in the 4th century. Users can "enter" the Forum, stand in the sands of the Colosseum, or swoop over any of 6,700 buildings...

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