- Rome's Colosseum has unveiled a new look following a meticulous restoration, recreating parts of its 2,000-year-old columns using the same travertine marble as ancient Rome.
- The project concentrated on a semicircular piazza outside the main arena, aiming to give visitors a perception of the original proportions of the grand arcades and vaults that once stood there.
- Tourists can now sit on large travertine marble slabs where columns once stood and read reproductions of the Roman numerals that indicated seat sections, a design by Italian architect Stefano Boeri.
- Restorers sourced the new travertine slabs from the same quarries used by the ancient Romans, with the four-generation Mariotti Carlo stonecutting firm involved in the work.
- The restoration of the Colosseum's perimeter was funded by compensatory funds from Rome's multi-billion euro metro project, which recently opened two new subway stations.
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