Original subtitles

Building the Colosseum

was the culmination of the career of Emperor Vespasian.

And what he built still stands, 2,000 years later.

Today one of Italy's noted industrialists

has stepped in to preserve it for future generations.

Workers are busy scrubbing the grime

off the white travertine facade

which is only now starting to divulge many new secrets.

Dawn rises on the Colosseum under restoration.

Men and women are already at work cleaning the facade.

The view from the highest point

gives a unique perspective on the engineering

of how the world's largest amphitheater was constructed.

Travertine is extremely resistant to water

and has provided support for the rest

of the Colosseum structure for 2,000 years.

The job entrusted to Conti and her team

is not only to restore the ancient glory of the stonework

but also to ensure it has remained impermeable

and, where it is fractured, make it waterproof once again.

With a resin hammer

or with the wooden handle we check the whole surface

to see if the fragments are in situ, stable.

We do it using percussion and sound,

like a doctor listening to lungs.

But also using tactile sensations

because when we put our hand on the stone

we can feel the difference in the vibrations

and the extent of any detachments.

Over the centuries various kinds of materials

have been used to repair the Colosseum.

Today restorers are using stucco

made of a mix of limestone and marble powder

which they have determined

will best match the ancient stone.

We don't use travertine powder

which would have been coherent as an idea

because aesthetically travertine powder

creates an opaque paste when dried.

So we use marble powder.

Now I will show you the dried powder

and you can see a variety of the colors we use

so that the workers have a range of hues

to arrive at the same color as the limestone.

The stone changes color naturally over time.

So cleaning it also means not destroying

the natural color of the original

which has been subject to weathering.

Every step needs to be monitored

so as to avoid turning the monument

into an unnaturally white color.

Cleaning between the stones is delicate and time consuming.

This layer that seems to have some

tonal discontinuity in the ivory white of the travertine

represents, however, the passage of time.

It is like my gray hairs from my black hairs,

it is an aesthetic choice.

I can dye my hair, I can also dye the hair of the Colosseum

We have to allow the visitor

to understand that time has passed.

The patient and laborious work

of cleaning and restoring the facade of the Coliseum

is barely the beginning of the massive renovation project.

Just as getting the travertine stone to Rome

was just the first step in building

the biggest arena of the Roman Empire.

They used the large depression caused by the lake

to build the foundation which was an enormous structure.

An elliptical structure with a central space,

a sort of donut shaped foundation layer 30 meters wide.

In all it took 10 years for Vespasian

and his sons, Titus and Domitian, to build the massive arena

which was called the Flavian Amphitheater,

after their family name.

Although Vespasian died just two years

before the massive job was done

this great Roman general's legacy has survived to this day.

It was absolutely a short time if you think about

the square meters of structure built

and considering the tools and equipment

that they had access to.

Once inside the Colosseum

engineers used the existing inclined planes

inside the cavea to haul slabs

of travertine to the highest parts.

While slaves did much of the heavy lifting

experts believe specialized artisans

were overseeing the work.

You can have slaves that can be employed

as the stone carvers and whatnot

for something specific and technical

but it just wasn't convenient for the state

to have slaves, or employ slaves, for this kind of activity.

The work, the building of Rome,

is done by soldiers, is done by associations,

and groups of carpenters and masons and so forth,

that could have slaves but again,

this is not to say that it was built by slaves.

Four different companies are believed

to have been contracted to build the Colosseum

working simultaneously on different segments.

Architects have studied the joints

where the different construction company's

segments came together.

And inside the monument itself

we see different engineering solutions

applied to the same problem.

The goal was to build this giant building

as fast as possible, not to make it

particularly elegant or beautiful.

They believe the work was divided in sectors

and given to different construction companies

that worked at the same time.

In various points we see these joints.

There are several places where the arches are deformed

with their heads at different heights.

And you can see that this is where

the different teams came together.

Roman engineering had already performed

the miracles of the aqueducts and the Roman roads

and although no designs of the Colosseum have emerged

the basic principles of Roman architecture

had been codified.

The arch was introduced by the Etruscans

but the Romans understood its potential

and used it everywhere such as in aqueducts and bridges.

The arch is a great structure because

with a small amount of material you can cover large spaces.

The arch works because it creates

a horizontal force between the blocks

that is compensated for when they touch the ground.

The strength of crossed arches

was already known to the Romans.

There were two kinds of arches

involved in the Flavian amphitheater.

The barrel vault made of Roman concrete and bricks,

which was built using wooden molds,

and the crossed arch in travertine stone.

The distribution of forces

gave these arches incredible strength,

especially when supported by adjacent arches.

Roman concrete was more resistant

than its modern equivalent because its

component parts solidified when wet.

The arches, the concrete, and the travertine

all worked together to make

the Colosseum extremely solid.

In the Colosseum the horizontal forces

that each arch creates is compensated

for by the next arch down.

So every arch compensates the forces

generated by the neighboring arch.

The building was held together thanks to geometry.

These huge columns are made of great blocks of stone

and the interplay of arches

keeps the whole structure standing.

The solid structure

that has survived to this day is not only the result

of the advanced Roman engineering techniques

but also shows signs of their very practical application

to speed up the building work.

For 2,000 years the Colosseum has defied

the ravages of time to remain standing.

But it won't last forever without

regular maintenance and key structural repairs

which are finally being carried out today

thanks to a unique public-private partnership

for its restoration.

The construction techniques used for the Colosseum

are the same as those used in Capua and Verona.

The internal surface of the building

is covered in brick work which functions

as a lining for the stone structure,

adding uniformity, support, and lightness.

From this viewpoint you see the exterior,

grand height of the Colosseum,

which has disappeared on this side.

It's been damaged by an earthquake,

that material's been carted off.

We get a view into the interior ring,

also of travertine stone,

but then it peters out and becomes brick.

That's been reconstructed.

So when you look at the Colosseum

you're getting all kinds of different views

into the history, and the reconstruction, the shoring up,

and the stripping out, of this grand monument.

This is where one

construction segment meets another.

The difference in the stonework is clear to the naked eye.

The Romans were very pragmatic.

They paid attention to detail only where it could be seen.

Wherever there were places that couldn't be seen

or wouldn't be noticed in the overall building

they didn't spend too much because precision has a cost.

The interior of the Colosseum is different.

It's not travertine stone, it's the brickwork.

But the brickwork is clad in marble.

So the marble veneer has all but disappeared

but you can imagine the entire

interior space shining with marble.

The top of the Colosseum's still visible today

and you can a lot of the stonework,

its place, it looks a little, not quite so neat.

From the exterior of it of course

it's perfectly carved and wonderful and well organized.

But on the inside it wasn't gonna be on view.

That particular arrangement of the stone blocks

so they're not cut to the perfection

that they could have done.

No-one's gonna see that part so who cares?

We see it today, exposed, and we ask questions.

The inside arches betray

the junction of the segments.

The way the barrel vaults are built

can be seen clearly here.

The brickwork would have been supported

by wooden molds that held the bricks

and mortar together until dry.

The construction of amphitheaters,

not only of the Colosseum,

but of all theaters and amphitheaters

was made possible by the massive use

of Roman cement, concrete that allowed the Romans

to build barrel vaults in series

such as those you can see in the amphitheaters.

The stones were laid one on the other

without cement, so the masonry had to be extremely precise.

Today when you go inside

it's been partially reconstructed.

Now there's even the idea to reconstruct all of it

to allow more access to explore

and experience the Colosseum.

But in ancient times it's all wood,

and then you have the trap doors

and up pop the protagonists: the gladiators

and many of the wild animals.

Historians believe the format for Roman games

involved animal hunts in the morning,

executions of criminals at midday,

and gladiatorial combats, or re-creations

of famous battles in the afternoon and evening.

The big stone structures down below in the foundations

held up the lighter structures above

where the public sat to watch the games.

As the arches rose upwards the construction

materials used were lighter and lighter.

The Colosseum is held up by travertine stone

which are the travertine columns.

And it becomes lighter as the structure

rises to the upper floors.

So the heaviest part is the first level

because it holds up the whole of the upper floors

that right now are missing.

The entire amphitheater was richly decorated

in marble and bronze, with statues in every arch.

The whole Colosseum was capped with a sail-like awning

to shelter the spectators from the sun.

It was held up by ropes and poles

resting on ledges all around the construction,

each with its own drain to stop

the wood rotting in the rain.

It can't fall inwards

because the radial walls resist inward horizontal pressure.

While forces that are pushing outwards are more problematic

because there are no outer structures.

That's why the Colosseum is not cylindrical

but slightly conical and gets narrower towards the top.

And this means that the center of gravity

of the stone masses are displaced inwards,

and this makes outward collapse more difficult.

This is where the less affluent people of Rome

would watch the battles in the arena.

But even then they would still be no further

than 60 meters from the combat.

In 80 AD the Emperor Titus inaugurated

the great arena with lavish inaugural games

and feasting that lasted more than 100 days.

Exotic animals were transported

from the wilds of Africa for special hunts

and the best fighters were called

into service as entertainment.

Weeks, months, of continuous games,

thousands of animals killed.

Hundreds of men to fight in that arena.

But there is one story in particular

of two gladiators who get called out of retirement

to come back and fight for this big event.

A bit like if we were to inaugurate a stadium today,

if we were to call back Pele and Beckenbauer.

At the time of Titus' inaugural games

the cellars were built of wood not of brickwork.

They were made of wood so that they could be dismantled,

the arena stage taken down for sea battles

and then rebuilt for the gladiatorial combat

and the animal hunts.

The games that would go down

in history as the most lavish however

were those held by Trajan when he celebrated

the conquest of Dacia, today's Romania.

The most spectacular games

were Trajan's celebration of the conquest of Dacia

which lasted 120 days

and over 25,000 gladiators fought each other.

The Colossus statue of Nero was preserved

and Hadrian had it moved from near his palace

to a place by the amphitheater.

It was the Roman's memory of that massive sun god statue

that gave the Flavian amphitheater

its nickname, the Colosseum.

Just off to the left where you see

a couple of little cypress trees, there stood the Colossus.

It was an enormous statue, we're talking about

the size of the Statue of Liberty,

except for the arm was not upraised,

it was resting on a pillar.

Over time when we hear of it no more authors start

to call the Flavian amphitheater the Colosseum.

The last use of the Colosseum that we know of

comes after an edict by Honorius in 404 AD.

And here to, let's remember that there

is no perfect recipe for a good gladiator,

for a good amphitheater, for the beautiful battle.

We are talking about a practice

that began in the 3rd century BC and that ended

at the end of the 5th century AD,

an incredibly long space of time.

In a Colosseum that the sources

tell us was already partially buried by the events of time:

battered by earthquakes, fires, and lightning,

and the removal of marble,

in 528 AD, at the time of the Langobards in Rome,

a hunt is organized.

This hunt, in 528, in the Colosseum,

was the lat recorded event of its kind.

As Rome declined the Colosseum

was put to many uses.

As here, at the Theater of Marcellus,

house were built inside the structure,

but they did not stay for long.

The Colosseum was rich in resources

which over the years would be pillaged

and reused in other ways.

If you look at the stone and the exterior

you see the travertine blocks oftentimes have holes in them.

And those holes tell the tale of people in the middle ages

extracting the metal pins that were

originally joining one block to another block.

So in the end this large, abandoned site

is becoming a quarry, is becoming a free shopping mall,

and people are coming and taking material

that they can use again.

The molten lead that held

the stone blocks together was hacked out.

Travertine was burned in lime kilns to make mortar.

The urine of horses stabled there eroded the stone

for use as saltpeter and gunpowder.

Worse was to come.

When we look at the exterior of the Colosseum

we don't see that massive, 50 meter high exterior

around the entire structure, it only exists on one side.

What about the other side, what happened?

A massive earthquake, and a large section here on one side,

tumbles down in the middle of the 14th century.

So by the time we get into great documented periods

like the Renaissance we read about cartloads of material

being taken from this job site, or this ruinous site,

over to St Peters' facade, hospitals, bridges.

Palazzo Venezia was built

for the Cardinals of Venice in the 1500s

with stones from the Colosseum.

They were also used for the lodger

of the City of Rome's Cathedral, San Giovanni in Laterano,

as well as today's French Embassy, Palazzo Farnese.

Finally the Colosseum was saved when Pope Benedict XIV

declared it a monument to Christian martyrs.

No-one could touch it any longer.

Although coal fires and traffic quickly covered

the white facade with a soft black layer of soot.

The goal of this work site

is not only to take away the deposit of black soot

but also identify all the cracks and create a single map.

This has never been done.

There's a difference between a small crack

at this height and a long crack that goes up to the top.

We have to see if it goes all the way up.

The layer of black grime

lead previous restorers to use dark cement

to fill in the holes and cracks in the facade.

Dr Conti must renovate the renovations of the past.

Much of the stucco laid

in those years, the 1950s and 60s, is black.

Not because the restorers of the time were incompetent

or color blind but simply because we have

to imagine that the surface was black.

They returned the color and integrated the stone

with black filling, the color of the stone

and its dirty surroundings.

The world's most famous monument

is not only getting a clean up

but is also due to be modernized inside and out

amid a storm of controversy.

Restorers are hard at work with nebulizers,

brushes, and sponges cleaning away the grime of centuries.

Renovation is due to take two years.

And the problems that face the ancient amphitheater,

before it can be fully opened to the public, are still many.

Doing conservation work on a site like the Colosseum

is gonna be multifaceted, it's not just one issue.

You've gotta always worry about water infiltration.

Here on this hillside overlooking the Colosseum

you see what happens over time

is that water is going to run off

and that runoff can eventually lead to a collapse.

Occasionally you have seismic activity,

you have the threat of earthquake,

so you have ongoing threats.

And of course you have traffic, you have pollution,

but you also have a metro line passing underneath.

You have the cars and the metro

that are creating more seismic activity.

Naturally the vibrations of the heavy traffic

or the irregularity of the frequency of the vibrations

can produce problems for the surface

only if the surface is already weakened.

Some of the most advanced monitoring

of water infiltration and seismic activity

inside an ancient Roman arena

is already being done in Verona, to the north.

Here the Romans had designed every seat, every stair,

so that water would run off into a complex system of drains.

The Romans had designed

the seats very differently in that the way

the seat was carved reduced the points of contact,

and at the edges there was

a small protuberance carved into the stone

to stop water filtering under it.

But when the later engineers in Verona

replaced the damaged marble seating

they left gaps that allow water to seep through.

This situation was not respected

when replacing the material.

And consequently, from this kind of placement,

we have serious problems today.

The water infiltrates and goes and damages the arches

threatening to erode the material.

We are only filling up the larger cavities

that threaten to let rainwater through the stone facade

into the are of the barrel vault

which are the true weak point of the monument

that need to be protected from water and vibrations.

Any damage to the Roman mortar

that holds up the barrel vaults

poses a mortal threat to the whole structure.

There is no longer a roof

on the Colosseum, so the water enters.

But we try to maintain the floors below

that are the roof of the arches that are beneath.

Aside from the nebulization,

as we turned on the tap to wash,

we also stuck a surgical tube in every hole

to see if it went through.

The delicate work of gently hammering

the stone to find empty spaces is time consuming.

Once identified, the hole behind the facade

has to be filled up with marble stucco

to make sure water does not filter through

to the vaults and further damage them.

As they remain the structure on which

the whole of the Colosseum still stands.

The stucco down here, as you can see,

has a different color tone from the ones

we saw before because it is getting close

to the true amber color of the travertine.

Once the job of consolidating

the Colosseum is completed the next step

will be to decide what to do with it.

The city of Verona has more than a century

of experience using its arena for modern events.

They have struck a balance for making necessary repairs

to the monument while making healthy returns for the city.

The Verona opera season is an important

source of revenue for the whole city.

We're talking about 450 million Euros of turnover

associated with all the activities of the foundation.

But most stage managers

aren't accustomed to holding events

in a structure 2,000 years old.

City and government officials are responsible

for preserving the monument

and also protecting the spectators.

Our experience, acquired over the years,

is that the organizers of events

born for stadium environments are not flexible

in adapting them to archaeological sites such as the arena.

Indeed, over the years,

the whole of the arena, almost as large as the Colosseum,

has been rendered safe and functional

using sensors like this placed in cracks in the vault

under the public seating to register the slightest movement.

The system set in place is the most advanced of its kind.

Monitoring the structure

is done through instruments set up

in the arena aimed at verifying the static

and dynamic behavior of the amphitheater.

Just a few days after the system

became operational the city of Verona

experienced an earthquake

registering five on the Richter scale.

To his delight the team were able

to verify the mathematical models used to build his system.

The earthquake was quite large

but did not damage the structure of the arena.

Later, his team were able to verify

the effects of rock concerts in the arena

and reassure the Culture Ministry

that this precious monument was safe.

There was a doubt that the sound levels

could create problems with the structure

but with this system we could see

that in any situation the level of disturbance,

such as from the sound levels during the concerts,

was, in any case, smaller than that

registered in the earthquake.

In a rare visit to the tunnels under the cavea

Mr Menon illustrates how the Verona arena worked.

We don't have traces of how the animals

and scenography were put onto the stage

but we know that this space did have

two semi-circular niches where there

was a lift and pulley system.

Today this system of cables and rods

keeps the floor stable under the orchestra pit

making the arena suitable for concerts.

So far the Colosseum has not reaped

the benefits of show business.

But one day the Colosseum cavea could be covered too

and concerts and events held there.

The new floor could

be used for cultural initiatives.

So this could give the monument

a greater value to the public, enrich its use,

and its relationship with the public.

In fact, whole new areas of the Colosseum

that were not accessible to the public before

are going to be opened for tours

after renovation is complete.

The total renovation of the cellars

will allow us to open them to visitors

which will be limited to small groups

because it is a labyrinth-like structure

that requires a guide.

As the rest of Rome gets a face-lift

thanks to private money, restoring and using

the holy grail of Roman monuments

for marketing and promotion is subject to controversy.

I think part of what companies get,

get the fame but the recognition,

it's getting publicity.

So "Tod's, Tod's, Tod's", you hear this over and over again

because of what they're doing

in association with the Colosseum.

The Colosseum Restoration Accord

calls for not just restoration but also other initiatives

such as the establishment of a non-profit organization,

Friends of the Colosseum, which will operate

the external aspects such as managing the monument.

The agreement on the Colosseum

allows for the creation of a non-profit organization

called Friends of the Colosseum.

And this association has actually

been created to help the spread

of cultural activities around the Colosseum.

Friends of this organization, Friends of the Colosseum,

Friends of the Louvre and so on.

And they're recognized as individuals

and as organizations because they too

want to help preserve this world heritage.

It's not easy.

We are going to build a help center

that will take out the activities

that are at present inside the monument

that aren't really compatible with the monument

such as a small book shop, the ticket office, and toilets.

Clearly we can't create large enough spaces

within the monument, while outside the monument

we will have more space to help visitors

that we know are at least between

five and a half million and six million a year.

Diego Della Valle is the CEO of Tod's Group

an Italian manufacturer of shoes and leather goods

who has long been tempted to enter the political arena.

The maverick shoe maker struck a deal

with the Italian Culture Ministry

that allows him to use the Colosseum as a marketing tool.

However he denies any such intention

and indeed thinks more private entrepreneurs should be

trying to help the Italian state at this difficult time.

I would advise my friends,

the Italian entrepreneurs, if they haven't

already thought about it to take a minute

to think about what they can do for this country.

Because if we do things as entrepreneurs

it has a practical effect because things get done.

The sponsor, who in this case is Della Valle,

or whoever else it might be,

wouldn't have been able to give more,

doesn't necessarily have to give more,

because what is made available

is the cost of the work to be done.

It doesn't have to cover the entire monument.

Nobody gave away the Colosseum

in terms of image or property to anyone.

Of course the Colosseum remains

the property of the state of Italy.

Nothing has been sold.

And private sponsorship doesn't take over

the protection, and monitoring, and so on, of the Colosseum.

The ultimate decision and the ultimate control

remains in the hands of the Ministry of Culture

and the superintendencies.

As long as that happens, and you have the transparency

so that people know where the funds are going,

I think it's a win win situation for everybody.

One thing everyone can agree on however

is the pressing need to preserve

what is perhaps the most iconic

and haunting image of ancient Rome.

The Colosseum is one

of the wonders of the ancient world

and still stands 2,000 years after it was built.

Amphitheaters like this one were venues

for gladiatorial entertainment

in every Roman city of the empire.

There were no less than 230 in the

four corners of the Roman world.

Rome's Colosseum is the largest arena still standing today.

But it is in need of imminent repairs.

Man and nature have eroded vast portions of the monument

though it still attracts millions of admirers every year.

Restorers are diligently cleaning

and consolidating the ancient arena

taking care not to destroy the marks of history.

Beneath the floor of the Roman arena

was the empire's most powerful propaganda machine:

the equipment used for stunning visual effects

that wowed the public over and over.

The Colosseum's underground cellar's

represent the emperor's machine for illusions.

Obviously the scenery was impressive,

just as the shows which were given

to the citizens by the emperors to maintain

or increase their popularity was spectacular.

The challenges of opening

this maze of tunnels and niches

to the public however are enormous.

Before restoring the cellars of the arena

a lot of work needs to be done.

Above all draining the waters.

We must never forget that there's a river

that runs under the Colosseum,

and the water floods the Colosseum when it rains heavily.

The controversy surrounding

the private funding of urgent restoration work

on the monument has opened

a whole new discussion on how

Italy manages its cultural heritage.

All our clients when they buy

our products somehow they also contribute

to the renovation of the Colosseum.

Private sponsorship is not the solution

it is a solution, and it's a great solution.

But there are so many other things

that need to happen and can happen.

Hopefully with this private sponsorship

it's jump-starting the conversation

it's getting more people involved,

more levels of participation involved.

That's what I'd like to see.

Italy holds three-quarters

of the world's great works of art.

And yet in the throes of economic crisis

the Italian state is expected to maintain

this cultural heritage of the whole of humanity alone.

In such a difficult moment for our country,

for the whole world economy but also in Italy,

I'd say that the situation we see is very worrying

and we hope it will pass.

Well in moments like this the most famous people,

the strongest companies, I think they should

place themselves at their country's disposal.

They should do what they can and they should do it

without asking for anything back.

The message is what can we do for our country today?

Across Italy major monuments in need of repair

are being restored with the help

of discreetly branded sponsorship.

The iconic Trevi Fountain, made famous

in the Fellini film La Dolce Vita,

is today covered in scaffolding.

And workers are chipping away at calcium deposits

to reveal the original sculptures.

Again, a major fashion house made the restoration possible.

The Colosseum is no different

say those who support the initiative.

If you maintain it, if you invest in it,

if you shore it up because it does need help,

this won't stand here forever on its own,

you will have something that can

be around as long as humans are around.

But you need that investment, you need that care,

and the Colosseum is finally getting it.

Given the sheer breadth

of Italy's cultural heritage and the dire need

of protecting it for future generations

a new law was passed in 2004 allowing for several

new types of public-private partnerships.

In actual fact the role

of the private comes in two forms.

Either via a donation or via a sponsorship.

Surely the sponsorship of the Colosseum

is one of the best examples of this.

If every big Italian brand adopts

a monument very soon there could

be renovation work all over the country,

lightening the load on the staff of the Cultural Ministry.

The question is how far the sponsors

will be allowed to go to recover

the investment in global communication.

As far as the Cultural Ministry is concerned

the issue is simple what will it cost to get the job done?

The entrepreneur Della Valle,

the sponsor, contributed a sum of 25 million Euros,

which is the sum needed to carry out all the work

that had to be done to save the facade of the monument,

to create a welcome center,

and to do the work inside the monument.

It was budgeted at 25 million Euros

so what the sponsor offered is exactly the sum

that needs to be spent to do the work.

What I would like is to be recognized

as having shown that the time has come

to stand up and work for our country and not complain.

Restoring one of the wonders

of the world is no small feat.

But it is not the first time the Colosseum

has been restored or re-branded

and probably won't be the last.

The restorer is like a doctor

and serves society to maintain

the monument memento over time.

And this gives enormous satisfaction.

Never forget the prophecy

of the venerable Bede, an English monk who said,

"As long as the Colosseum stands Rome will stand."

"When the Colosseum falls Rome will fall."

"And when Rome falls so will the world."

The whole story of the world's

most famous stage is a constant work in progress,

an ongoing saga of epic proportions.