Throughout the Covid-19 emergency, the main landmarks in Rome and Italy may have been closed to the public, but they kept being taken care of. Small maintenance operations have been flanked by major restoration works, both of which aim to transform and revitalize the experience of Italian and foreign visitors when they can once again travel as they once did.

Of course the Roman Forum and the Colosseum were among the main focus of this grand series of measures.

In this blog post, we gathered the most important projects in the area – and we added some major bonuses in the end, too! Not listed in this one article, however, is another, much-discussed task: the new arena floor for the Flavian Amphitheather, which we talked about .

Even though live cams abound in the center of Rome, you can only get a glimpse of the major works going on at the Colosseum: from you can clearly see part of the scaffolding still encasing the third ring of the arena. Also partly visible is the worksite for the “Colosseo” second subway stop, which building is still ongoing.

What cannot be seen from this angle, on the other hand, are the two major restoration works happening at, respectively, the Temple of Venus and Roma and the triumphal arch of Constantine. The Colosseum’s Archaeological Park’s official website is doing a major effort to document the whole process for all ongoing operations, with frequent online events (We suggest following @parcolosseo on Instagram or looking it up on Facebook!).

More works are on at the Temple of Vesta, the Basilica Aemilia and the Arch of Septimius Severus.

These works have been already finished and unveiled and, refreshingly, they focused on some areas of the Colosseum and Forum that are rarely noticed by visitors.

First off, conservators painstakingly restored the “ideal” map of Jerusalem at the time of Jesus Christ, painted under Pope Clement X in the 1670s. It is located on the arch at the bottom of the Porta Triumphalis of the Colosseum, and for centuries it had been incorrectly believed to be a fresco – it was actually a tempera, now visible in much brighter colors. This adds one more piece to the understanding of the Colosseum past the end of the Roman Empire.

On the other side of the Forum, the basilica of Santa Francesca Romana (AKA Santa Maria Nova) finally reopened after restoring its wooden ceiling and paintings. A much loved figure in Rome, the saint is the co-patron of the city and a protector against pestilence.

Also of note is the dismantling of part of the Via Alessandrina area, by Trajan’s Market. Some commenters have lamented the loss of one of the original roads untouched by the Fascist demolition of the forever gone Alessandrino area (torn apart to build the Via dei Fori Imperiali boulevard), but the tearing down also means that the Roman Forum is now bigger. And excavations have proved fruitful, with the unearthing of two marble heads, one representing the emperor Augustus and the other the god Dyonisus (which you can see above).

As you’re surely aware of, all underground landmarks have been closed since last year, but at least one of them is about to return in a much grander fashion: the Domus Aurea will now have a new pedestrian walkway, designed by famed architect Tito Boeri, which will also take into account those tourists with a walking disability wishing to visit Nero’s majestic mansion.

And last but not least, expect major changes on the Largo di Torre Argentina ruins: finally, works will begin to Locals and international tourists will be able to walk the site, which includes the scene of Julius Caesar’s assassination.