Rome opens Colosseum's top floors to public for first time in decades

It looks incredible

(EPA)

For the first time in decades, the top of Rome’s Colosseum has been removed, allowing the public to enjoy incredible views from the top.

The amphitheatre where gladiators used to fight is the top tourist attraction in Italy, and as of 1 November, visitors will be able to climb up to the highest level, more than 120 feet above the ground.

Five stories up, the top level of the Colosseum used to be reserved for plebeians, who were the lowliest members of society.

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But soon, tourists in groups of 25 will be led up to the top to see what it was like to be a pleb, who would sit on wooden benches (in contrast to the higher members of society on marble benches below).

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The seats were the cheapest because they were furthest away from the entertainment.

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“The noise and the smell would have been hellish,” Rossella Rea, the director of the Colosseum, told The Telegraph.

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“The wild animals were kept in underground tunnels. They were not fed for days. So when they were hoisted up from the darkness to the arena in cages, they would have been terrified. The carnage was terrible.”

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Six million people visit the Colosseum every year, and they’ll soon be able to enjoy previously unseen views over the surroundings, including the nearby Roman Forum, Palatine Hill and the rest of Rome.

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It’s likely that the ability to climb to the very top will only draw even more visitors.