The question of repairing the Colosseum was raised several times over several decades, but the Roman authorities could not provide sufficient funds for a full restoration. In July 2012, a plan for the restoration of this architectural monument was finalized and approved, moreover, it was decided that the money for it would be provided by a businessman, and not by the state.
The restoration of the Colosseum will have to spend about 25 million euros, and the owner of the Tod's shoe chain Diego Della Valle agreed to provide this money. In July 2012, a conference was held, the participants of which reviewed and approved the renovation plan and made a number of important decisions regarding the deadline for their implementation, the possibility of leaving some areas open to tourists, etc.
The restoration works of the ancient architectural monument will begin in December 2012 and will last until June or July 2015. The last time the Colosseum was fully restored only in 1938-39, and minor repair work carried out after that only helped to slow down the process of destruction of the amphitheater. At the time of the new large-scale renovation, about 3,000 cracks and several pieces that had fallen off were found in the Colosseum.
The restoration of the ancient amphitheater will take place in stages. It was decided to carry out work on six sites, moreover, workers will restore several different parts of the Colosseum at the same time to speed up the process. First of all, the northern and southern facades of the building will be restored, all cracks will be eliminated, and some areas will be strengthened or redone. At the same time, the Colosseum will remain open to tourists throughout the restoration process.
Further, it is planned to create a service center for visitors, which will be located directly in front of the Colosseum. It was decided to locate toilets, cash desks, information bureau, souvenir shops and much more. The construction of the service center will also be carried out as part of the restoration process.
And finally, in 2012-13. it is planned to develop the third stage of the Colosseum's restoration, but at the time of the July press conference, the organizers and sponsor themselves did not know what kind of work would have to be done. Perhaps in the process of carrying out the repair, additional problems will be identified, which will have to be solved at the third stage.
