It’s no secret that Rome has some of the best preserved history in the world. You might be surprised to learn, however, that even in 2025 there are still places left to be investigated and explored, such as a secret tunnel system running underneath the Colosseum.
Rome’s Colosseum is nearly 2000 years old. Back in its heyday, it was a huge venue that played host to gladiator duels, animal battles, executions, and any other gory spectacles that the Romans fancied. Sort of like an ancient football stadium, except instead of scoring goals the objective was to not get mauled by a lion.
The Colosseum was a cultural centre, and everyone was welcome to be a spectator, right from the poorest workmen to the Emperor. That posed a slight issue for the wealthy and powerful who didn’t want to mingle with the general public, so they came up with a simple solution: an underground tunnel leading from a private entrance right to the emperor’s box. It is thought that this was constructed about 100 years after the Colosseum’s completion in 80AD.
Once the Colosseum fell out of use in the Middle Ages, the tunnel was lost to time until it was uncovered centuries later in the early 1800s. Over the past couple of hundred years, excavation was carried out in increments, stopping and starting until it was finally (partly) completed in 2021.
The Colosseum Archaeological Park explained the significance of its discovery in a statement, saying: ‘for the first time, a place with a fascinating history, architecture, and art that was designed for the exclusive use of the emperor is accessible’.
Now, the passageway has been mapped out, and carvings on the walls of animals and acrobats have been painstakingly revealed. The best part? All of this work will soon be open to the public.
Works are ongoing to uncover the rest of the tunnel system, and glass walls will allow visitors to watch archeologists at work as they explore.
Barbara Nazzaro, the archeologist who led the project, explained that ‘once this passage is open to the public, visitors will appreciate what it was like to be an emperor’, and the director general of museums in Italy described this as ‘a significant milestone’ in unveiling the nation’s heritage. Its first day open will be October 27.
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