The Colosseum in Rome stayed closed to the public on Wednesday after Andrea Moretti, a 22-year-old specialist rope access worker, died in a fall on Tuesday night. Moretti was installing cabling for an illumination project when he fell about 10 metres.
Thousands of visitors had already entered the site early on Wednesday before the closure took effect. The Colosseum Archaeological Park said the monument would be closed officially after those visitors left, while all construction and maintenance work at the site was suspended until further notice.
Rome after the fall
Moretti’s death came at the ancient arena that is Italy’s most visited tourist attraction, a site built 2,000 years ago in the Roman Empire. The monument was used for gladiator fights, executions and animal hunts, and the work Moretti was doing was tied to an illumination project expected to be completed next month.
Giorgia Meloni said, “We are deeply shocked and saddened by the news of the tragic death of Andrea Moretti” and added, “Dying at the age of 22 is unacceptable — even more so when it happens in the workplace.” Alessandro Giuli said, “The tragic event had shocked and stunned the country,” and added, “The few words we can express are dedicated to Andrea, his family, and his loved ones,” as well as, “We extend to everyone our deepest, most sorrowful condolences at the senseless death of a young man dedicated to his work.”
CGIL pressure in Rome
The closure was widened after the CGIL objected to an initial partial closure of the monument. Natale di Cola said, “Humanity comes before tourists,” pushing the response beyond an access issue and into a public dispute over how the site should be treated after a workplace death.
Authorities are working to determine the circumstances of the incident, and all construction and maintenance work remains suspended until further notice. The death also came less than a year after a Romanian worker died near the Colosseum last November, keeping attention on worksite safety around the monument as the public waits for the site to reopen.
