Article
Rome Tourists to Benefit from Development Work
Published: Tue 24 Sep 2013 at 08:37
Updated: Tue 24 Sep 2013 at 08:37
Rome's recently elected mayor has announced his intention to dig up an 80-year-old road which separates two of the city's most visited attractions.
If excavated, the works should reveal access to many other Roman ruins as well.
Ignazio Marino has already made the Colosseum more accessible by ensuring the area around the ruined amphitheatre is car-free. Today, the once-busy roundabout is only accessible to buses and taxis.
The next phase of an ongoing plan to give the city a more tourist-friendly look and feel will see the removal of the Via dei Fori Imperiali.
Double the Number of Tourists
Created back in 1932 by Italian dictator Benito Mussolini, the road splits the Colosseum from the Roman Forum and the other forums of Imperial Rome. According to the mayor, removing it will double the number of tourists who are able to visit the sites.
Talking about the plan, Marino said:
"We intend to do it. Our goal is to make the whole area of the forums the biggest archaeological park on the planet."
It will not be the last of the redevelopment work to take place in the centre of Rome either, with Jet2.com customers enjoying cheap flights to Rome in the future likely to see a very different city. Marino continued:
"In 25 to 30 years, thanks to these excavations there will be a completely new urban situation in the centre of Rome."
Under the plans envisaged by the mayor, a small strip of road will remain, linking the two sites. This will be for a newly created tram route, allowing those who have booked cheap flights to Rome to get around easily.
