A once-secret tunnel used by Roman emperors to slip in and out of the Colosseum away from public view will this month open to tourists for the first time. The passage, carved through the arena's foundations at the end of the 1st century AD, allowed emperors to avoid the huge crowds—and potential dangers—of the Colosseum. "It's an extraordinary place and now it has been restored the world will finally get to see it," said site director Alfonsina Russo.
The tunnel starts near the imperial box on the south side and moves underground, passing beneath the stands. Remnants of decorative stucco reliefs, including images of acrobats and Dionysus, line the walls, though Reuters notes the passageway's exceedingly damp conditions "have made conservation a struggle." A portion of the tunnel's route remains a mystery: It comes to a stop after 180 feet, the rest obliterated a century ago during a sewer project. The Times of London notes some rumors persist that it once connected to a church on Caelian Hill.
The tunnel's construction followed that of the Colosseum itself, which opened in AD80, and the fact that it required digging through the arena's significant foundations "meant someone who was really important really wanted it," restorer Angelica Pujia tells the Times. Markings on the tunnel's bricks date the construction to the reign of Domitian, but it was later named the Tunnel of Commodus, after the megalomaniac emperor who fought as a gladiator (and was played by Joaquin Phoenix in Gladiator). The underground tunnels and rooms where gladiators readied themselves to fight were opened to visitors in 2021; the Daily Beast reports this tunnel opens Oct. 27.
,
uBlock 
,
and
Ghostery 
)
