Retractable floor will allow visitors to see the ‘majesty of the monument’ from its centre, says culture minister.

The floor of Rome’s Colosseum, where gladiators once fought against each other and wild animals, is set to be restored to its former glory.

Milan Ingegneria, a structural engineering and architecture firm, has won an €18.5m (£16m) bid to build and install a retractable arena floor that will allow visitors “to see the majesty of the monument” from its centre, culture minister Dario Franceschini said on Sunday.

The project is expected to be completed within the next two years.

“In 2023, we will have the splendour of the Colosseum with its arena again,” Franceschini added.

The Roman amphitheatre, completed under Emperor Titus in AD80, once had a wooden floor covered with sand that was built on top of a network of tunnels and rooms where gladiators and animals waited before entering the arena...

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