Rome’s Coliseum damaged due to cold weather

PanARMENIAN.Net - Several small fragments from the top of Rome’s Coliseum have fallen away because of the cold snap and bad weather that gripped Italy.

The Coliseum, which is included in the list of the World’s New Seven Wonders, was built 1,932 years ago and is now gradually falling apart with almost 3,000 cracks in its walls.

The recent heavy snowfalls and low temperatures that hit most of Europe may have caused the Coliseum’s damage as little fragments had split from it.

An overall restoration of the ancient theater is scheduled for March, 2012.

The Coliseum, which was closed from tourists, will be reopening on Thursday, Feb 16.

According to the Corriere della Sera, early on Sunday a Coliseum museum worker slipped on the ice inside the ancient theater and broke his leg so the opening was postponed until Thursday.

Other Roman tourist sites, including the Baths of Caracalla, the Palatine Hill, the Roman district of Ostia, and the ancient Appian Way were opened on Tuesday, Feb 14.

Freezing temperatures hit many European countries, including the Czech Republic, Italy, Poland, and Ukraine, where extremely low temperatures killed scores of people, RIA Novosti reported.