Tour under Colosseum

In Rome, after a $28-million renovation, part of the Colosseum’s underground system of tunnels and galleries was opened to the public late this summer for the first time in decades.

Small groups of visitors, accompanied by a guide, now can enter the underground complex through the Porta Libidinaria, the gate that gladiators once walked through to meet their fate.

Under the partially reconstructed floor of the 2,000-year-old amphitheater, the backstage apparatus is visible that once sent lions, buffalo and other surprises up slave-powered elevators and through trap doors into the exhibition area.

A Colosseum ticket costs €15.50 (near $20) and can be purchased on site, by calling +39 (0) 6 399 677 00 or online at www.ticketclic.it/HTML/musei/colosseo.cfm. Colosseum admission is also included with the Roma Pass and Archaeologia Card.