Rome unveils new archaeological park, museum near Colosseum

Roman authorities inaugurate a new archaeological park and museum near the Colosseum

Roman authorities inaugurated the Celio Archaeological Park and Forma Urbis Museum on Jan. 11.

This marks the completion of a project to develop the area around the Roman Forum, Palatine Hill, and the Colosseum in Rome. The initiative focuses on preserving and showcasing ancient remains, including temples and a gymnasium near the Colosseum.

Visitors to the New Forma Urbis Museum are able to walk on the glass platform where the ancient Roman map was carved into a huge 18×13 m marble between A.D. 203 and A.D. 211 on the orders of Emperor Septimus Severus.

“We decided to place the map horizontally to give the feeling of walking through the ancient city of Rome,” Claudio Parisi Presicce, Rome’s cultural heritage officer, told The Associated Press (AP).

More than 1,800 years old, only a tenth of the map has been preserved, and it was last shown to the public about a century ago.

The Celio Archaeological Park is open daily for free, while the Forma Urbis Museum is open every day except Mondays for a $10 fee.

Source: Newsroom