|
Asked how such details could have gone undetected for nearly 2,000 years, officials said flatly: money. There simply wasn't funding available to carry out the restoration of the passageway, which Rea said had been a goal for her office for 20 years. Aside from the hallway cleaning, the Colosseum is set to undergo euro25 million ($33.31 million) head-to-toe restoration funded by Italian businessman Diego Della Valle, founder of the Tod's shoe empire. The effort is primarily designed to shore up the monument, one of the world's most famous, which is crumbling under years of neglect. Pieces of masonry and rock have fallen from the rafters, and the travertine is covered in gray dirt from car exhaust and pollution. The nearby subway rattles its foundations, such that the Colosseum has begun sinking in the same way the Leaning Tower of Pisa does, with a 40-centimeter (nearly 16-inch) inclination on its south side. "It's not serious, but it needs to be restored," Rea said, noting the last major restoration was carried out in the 1970s. "The later you start, the worse it is."
Work has been delayed because of court challenges to the contract bidding process, with the latest hearing this week put off until the end of the month. Rome Mayor Gianni Alemanno complained this week that the delays were "exasperating."
[Associated
Press;
Copyright 2013 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
News | Sports | Business | Rural Review | Teaching & Learning | Home and Family | Tourism | Obituaries
Community |
Perspectives
|
Law & Courts |
Leisure Time
|
Spiritual Life |
Health & Fitness |
Teen Scene
Calendar
|
Letters to the Editor