A promotional stunt to stage a gladiatorial spectacle with tourists at the Colosseum has sparked controversy in Rome, with the city council requesting that the initiative be suspended.
The project is the result of a partnership between the Colosseum Archaeological Park, an organization linked to the Italian Ministry of Culture, and the vacation rental platform Airbnb, as part of the promotional actions for the film “Gladiator 2”.
The initiative involves 16 tourists dressing up as ancient Roman fighters to simulate combat inside the most famous amphitheater of Antiquity, with almost 2 years of history.
Participants will be able to choose the armor they will wear in the performance and enjoy a banquet of foods that are reminiscent of the customs of the time, such as grapes, pomegranates, almonds and walnuts.
The experience will last three hours and is scheduled for May 7 and 8, 2025, with free participation, but those chosen will have to cover travel and accommodation costs.
In exchange for the space, Airbnb will make a donation to the archaeological park.
Registration will be open between November 27th and December 10th on the platform's website, while the Rome City Hall is working to try and prevent the action.
“The news of a gladiator show inside the Colosseum leaves us perplexed, to say the least,” said the municipal secretary of Culture, Massimiliano Smeriglio, adding that the project reinforces the “commodification” of historical heritage.
“We cannot turn one of the most important monuments in the world into a theme park, so I have decided to write to the CEO of Airbnb to ask him to step down from the show,” Smeriglio said.
The center-left Democratic Party (PD) accused the platform of confusing Rome with “Disneyland.” “After taking over the entire historic center, denaturing it and turning it into a huge tourist park, it now wants to ridicule the Colosseum,” the party said, referring to the spread of tourist properties in the area. (HANDLE)
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