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The Colosseum's Badly Needed Bath

The first full cleaning in the Colosseum's history aims to return the Roman monument to its
former splendor
By ERIC SYLVERS
Updated April 25, 2014 4:22 p.m. ET

ROME'S COLOSSEUM GETS A FACELIFT

A $35 million project to clean up the Colosseum aims to return it to its former
splendor, while also strengthening the overall structure. Compare a column covered
in gunk, and a different column, after the scrubdown treatment.

tion

After restoration

Giulio Napolitano for The Wall Street Journal

Rome's Colosseum will soon look a little more like it did in the bad old days two
millennia ago, when it first hosted gladiator fights, mock naval battles and public
executions carried out by wild animals.

The $35 million projectthe first full cleaning in the Colosseum's historyaims to
return it to its former splendor, while also strengthening the overall structure.
Earthquakes, the pillaging of pieces of its outer frame, heavy car traffic and Rome's
nearby subway have damaged key parts. The scrubdown should also reveal secrets of
how one of the world's most famous, and often neglected, monuments remained
standing for 20 centuries.
Some surprises have already emerged during the project's first six months. The
restorers expect to uncover the first five arcades this summer. Visitors will find that the
monument's Travertine limestone is once again a vibrant dark ivorywhat Rossella Rea,
the Colosseum's director, calls "yellow ivory." Pollution had turned the stone a variety of
colors from dirty cream to jet black.

THE COLOSSAL SCRUBDOWN

A $35 million project aims to return the
Roman Colosseum to its former splendor. GIULIO NAPOLITANO FOR THE WALL STREET JOURNAL

When the first five arcades are revealed, five others will be covered as the scaffolding
makes its slow clockwise trip around the monument. There are 80 arcades in all.
While this is the first full cleaning in the Colosseum's history, for centuries cement and
other substances have closed fissures in the Travertine limestone. For the first time,
thanks to the scaffolding, "we had the chance to examine past restorations closely and
see how the philosophy of shoring up the structure has evolved through the centuries,"
said Ms. Rea, who has worked at the Colosseum for 30 years, including the past six as
director.
A 1990s cleaning of four arcades gave restorers the confidence that they had developed
the least invasive method to remove centuries of gunk.
Behind the scaffolding's tarp that obstructs the views of passersby, hundreds of jets of
water lightly spray each piece of Travertine limestone for a period ranging from one to
four hours. The duration increases at the lower levels that are more exposed to car
exhaust and consequently have accumulated more dirt.
During breaks in the spraying, 10 workers dressed from head to toe in yellow waterproof
outfits scrub the Travertine with soft-bristled brushes and toothbrushes. In particularly
difficult spots where the accumulated gunk refuses to come lose, they use compresses of
ammonium bicarbonate. Keeping the water on long enough would also do the job, but
too much water can damage the Travertine and turn it an artificial white. Restorers use

hammers and chisels to chip away at poorly done past interventions.

"When you have the chance to put up scaffolding on an ancient monument and look
closely while you're cleaning, you discover things you would never otherwise see such as
frescoes, stucco work, inscriptions and graffiti," said Clementina Panella, a professor of
Roman archaeology at Rome's La Sapienza university.
Ms. Rea says she expects major surprises like those to emerge when the scaffolding
makes its way to the south and west sides of the Colosseum. That section lacks an extra
row of outer arcades, which began to be dismantled in the sixth century to provide
material for new structures. The outer arcades block close-up looks at the inner
structure. In January last year, a small-scale cleaning not connected to the current
project revealed frescoes, graffiti and drawings on an internal passageway. The project
could also afford the first look at how the Romans built key sections of the world-famous
monument.
The cleaning, slated to end in 2016, started in October after years of bureaucratic
wrangling and a national debate about whether the cleaning of a national monument
should be funded by a private company or individualin this case, Diego Della Valle, the
billionaire owner of leather-goods maker Tod's. Mr. Della Valle's donation will also cover
some restoration inside the Colosseum and the building of a visitors' center.
While the arena has been decaying for centuries due to a lack of proper upkeep, it is not
in the dire straits of Pompeii, the ancient Roman town buried by Vesuvius in 79 A.D., just
three years before the Colosseum's completion. In 2010, a building in Pompeii collapsed,
and since then several walls in other structures have crumbled.
While Ms. Rea insists there is no danger of any pieces of the Colosseum falling off, she
says she'd probably need close to triple what Mr. Della Valle has donated to be able to
carry out all the needed restoration. In particular, she would like to fix up an unstable
and abandoned tunnel filled with frescoes and stucco and marble works; it was once
used by the emperor to arrive in the Colosseum.
Darius Arya, an American archaeologist who is chief executive and co-founder of the
American Institute for Roman Culture, said of the Colosseum, "People think it's been
here for 2,000 years and so it will be here another 2,000, but the reality is: No, it won't, if
you don't take care of it."

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