Airbnb Sponsorship Turns Colosseum into Gladiator Theme Park

Airbnb has sponsored the Colosseum with a €1 million deal to stage gladiator reenactments for 16 contest winners in May 2025, sparking outrage over the commodification of Italy's most iconic monument. The initiative, coordinated with historical reenactment groups close to far-right politician Federico Mollicone (president of the Culture Commission), allows winners to dress as ancient Romans and stage mock battles on the arena floor. Critics, including Rome's culture councillor Massimiliano Smeriglio, have denounced the event as kitsch and a misuse of cultural heritage. The sponsorship comes amid broader concerns about the Meloni administration's handling of cultural institutions, including the controversial exhibition of Korean sculptor Park Eun Sun at the Colosseum, curated by the gallerist's inexperienced son Leonardo Contini, while a planned renovation of the Colosseum's arena by Labics studio remains stalled.