Colosseum opens third entrance for guided groups from July 15

Starting July 15, the Colosseum in Rome will open a third entrance from the Sperone Stern, adjacent to via Labicana, offering groups direct access to the arena through the underground ring. Superintendent Francesco Prosperetti said the new entry will make visitors feel like "gladiators of the third millennium" and provide an unforgettable emotional experience. The initiative aims to decongest the main entrance and diversify visitor routes, targeting 1,800–2,400 visitors per day (out of an average 15,000 daily). Access is reserved for pre-booked groups of up to 50 people, with visits lasting about 20 minutes, with the option to continue into the standard tour. The trial runs until October 31, after which conclusions will be drawn. Separately, a conference at the Terme di Diocleziano presented the discovery of a military necropolis along via Flaminia, near the so-called "Tomb of the Gladiator" of Marco Nonio Macrino. The site, which actor Russell Crowe helped save from reburial in 2012, now reveals two additional monumental tombs and a group of praetorian stelae, indicating a military cemetery later transformed into a fullonica (dyeing workshop).