Colosseum's New Look: Ancient Roman Architecture Revived with Travertine Marble

• The Colosseum has undergone a restoration, recreating parts of its 2,000-year-old columns using the same travertine marble as ancient Rome.
• The project focused on a semicircular piazza outside the arena, where Roman spectators once gathered under 50-meter-high arcades.
• Tourists can now sit on large travertine marble slabs where the original columns stood and view reproductions of Roman numerals indicating seat sections.
• Restorers dug a meter deep, discovering coins, statues, animal bones, and a gold ring, and sourced new travertine from ancient quarries.
• The restoration was funded by compensatory funds from Rome's new multi-billion euro metro project, which includes a station beneath the Colosseum.