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me's Colosseum will soon look a little more like it did in the bad old days two

llennia ago, when it first hosted gladiator fights, mock naval battles and public

ecutions carried out by wild animals.

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he Colosseum's Badly Needed Bathe first full cleaning in the Colosseum's history aims to return the Roman monument to its

mer splendor

dated April 25, 2014 4:22 p.m. ET

ERIC SYLVERS

ROME'S COLOSSEUM GETS A FACELIFT

A $35 million project to clean up the Colosseum aims to return it to its former

plendor, while also strengthening the overall structure. Compare a column covered

n gunk, and a different column, after the scrubdown treatment.

 

 After restoration

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e $35 million project—the first full cleaning in the Colosseum's history—aims to

urn it to its former splendor, while also strengthening the overall structure.

rthquakes, the pillaging of pieces of its outer frame, heavy car traffic and Rome's

arby subway have damaged key parts. The scrubdown should also reveal secrets of 

w one of the world's most famous, and often neglected, monuments remained

nding for 20 centuries.

me surprises have already emerged during the project's first six months. Thetorers expect to uncover the first five arcades this summer. Visitors will find that the

onument's Travertine limestone is once again a vibrant dark ivory—what Rossella Rea,

e Colosseum's director, calls "yellow ivory." Pollution had turned the stone a variety of 

ors from dirty cream to jet black.

hen the first five arcades are revealed, five others will be covered as the scaffolding

akes its slow clockwise trip around the monument. There are 80 arcades in all.

hile this is the first full cleaning in the Colosseum's history, for centuries cement and

her substances have closed fissures in the Travertine limestone. For the first time,

anks to the scaffolding, "we had the chance to examine past restorations closely and

e how the philosophy of shoring up the structure has evolved through the centuries,"

d Ms. Rea, who has worked at the Colosseum for 30 years, including the past six as

ector.

990s cleaning of four arcades gave restorers the confidence that they had developed

e least invasive method to remove centuries of gunk.

hind the scaffolding's tarp that obstructs the views of passersby, hundreds of jets of 

ter lightly spray each piece of Travertine limestone for a period ranging from one to

ur hours. The duration increases at the lower levels that are more exposed to car

haust and consequently have accumulated more dirt.

ring breaks in the spraying, 10 workers dressed from head to toe in yellow waterproof 

tfits scrub the Travertine with soft-bristled brushes and toothbrushes. In particularly ficult spots where the accumulated gunk refuses to come lose, they use compresses of 

monium bicarbonate. Keeping the water on long enough would also do the job, but

o much water can damage the Travertine and turn it an artificial white. Restorers use

HE COLOSSAL SCRUBDOWN

 A $35 million project aims to return the

oman Colosseum to its former splendor. GIULIO NAPOLITANO FOR THE WALL STREET JOURNAL

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

hen you have the chance to put up scaffolding on an ancient monument and look

sely while you're cleaning, you discover things you would never otherwise see such as

scoes, stucco work, inscriptions and graffiti," said Clementina Panella, a professor of 

man archaeology at Rome's La Sapienza university.

. Rea says she expects major surprises like those to emerge when the scaffoldingakes its way to the south and west sides of the Colosseum. That section lacks an extra

w of outer arcades, which began to be dismantled in the sixth century to provide

aterial for new structures. The outer arcades block close-up looks at the inner

ucture. In January last year, a small-scale cleaning not connected to the current

oject revealed frescoes, graffiti and drawings on an internal passageway. The project

uld also afford the first look at how the Romans built key sections of the world-famous

onument.

e cleaning, slated to end in 2016, started in October after years of bureaucratic

angling and a national debate about whether the cleaning of a national monument

ould be funded by a private company or individual—in this case, Diego Della Valle, the

lionaire owner of leather-goods maker Tod's. Mr. Della Valle's donation will also cover

me restoration inside the Colosseum and the building of a visitors' center.

hile the arena has been decaying for centuries due to a lack of proper upkeep, it is notthe dire straits of Pompeii, the ancient Roman town buried by Vesuvius in 79 A.D., just

ree years before the Colosseum's completion. In 2010, a building in Pompeii collapsed,

d since then several walls in other structures have crumbled.

hile Ms. Rea insists there is no danger of any pieces of the Colosseum falling off, she

ys she'd probably need close to triple what Mr. Della Valle has donated to be able to

rry out all the needed restoration. In particular, she would like to fix up an unstable

d abandoned tunnel filled with frescoes and stucco and marble works; it was onceed by the emperor to arrive in the Colosseum.

rius Arya, an American archaeologist who is chief executive and co-founder of the

merican Institute for Roman Culture, said of the Colosseum, "People think it's been

re for 2,000 years and so it will be here another 2,000, but the reality is: No, it won't, if 

u don't take care of it."

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