After almost three years, the Colosseum in Rome has finished undergoing a restoration financed by high-end leather-goods maker Tod's.
Now some local officials want to make the historic site less accessible to visitors.
The idea of a "no-go zone" around the Colosseum has been raised in response to recent incidents involving tourists behaving badly. The latest: On January 14, two Brazilian visitors tried breaking into the ancient amphitheater after hours; while trying to climb over an access gate, one of them fell nearly 13 feet, fracturing a hip in the process.
Now the Colosseum's special superintendant, Francesco Prosperetti, says he's thinking about establishing a 49-foot ring around the structure, using chains to separate it from other traffic and installing video surveillance to safeguard the spot in the evenings after it closes to visitors.
Similar proposals relating to another Roman landmark were bandied about last fall, when Bulgari, the luxury jewelry brand, paid to have the city's Spanish Steps cleaned.
In both cases, city officials are struggling to strike a balance between preserving priceless landmarks and making them accessible to the public.
