Colosseo-Fori Imperiali stop, opened just nine months ago, shortlisted for the Prix Versailles 2026 architecture prize.Rome's newest metro station, Colosseo-Fori Imperiali, has been put forward for one of the world's most prestigious architecture awards, with organisers considering it among the most beautiful railway stations built anywhere in the world over the past year.  The station, part of the driverless Metro C line, has been selected in the Passenger Stations category for the Prix Versailles' World's Most Beautiful Stations List 2026. The prize, hosted at UNESCO's Paris headquarters since 2015, is regarded as one of the leading international awards for contemporary architecture and major public works.   Rome's city council confirmed its participation by the 2 September deadline, submitting all the material required after being informed on 18 August by Prix Versailles secretary general Jérôme Gouadain that the selection committee intended to include the station among its candidates. Shortlist Rome's mobility councillor Eugenio Patanè said the news had come as a pleasant surprise, given that the council had not sought any recognition for the station. He noted that the committee, which reviews new stations on every continent each year, from Paris to Sydney to Riyadh, had chosen to honour a station only nine months old that has already recorded around two million visitors.   Patanè added that the station showed it was possible to build a metro line in the heart of ancient Rome without having to choose between archaeology and transport, since the ancient wells uncovered during excavation became central to the design rather than an obstacle to be cleared. The Prix Versailles process unfolds in two stages. A selection committee will choose a maximum of eight stations worldwide, with the shortlist due to be published on 28 September. A nine-member global jury will then award three titles - the Prix Versailles itself, plus special prizes for interior and exterior design - to be announced on 10 December at UNESCO's Paris headquarters. Museum station The Colosseo-Fori Imperiali stop opened to the public on 16 December 2025, after years of delays caused by archaeological finds and funding overruns typical of the decades-long Metro C project.   Rome opens the new Metro C subway station at the Colosseum for the first time pic.twitter.com/bPofgm4zuc — Wanted in Rome (@wantedinrome) December 16, 2025   Rome's first "museum station" is built across four underground levels to a depth of more than 30 metres, with 5,500 square metres of public space and a direct interchange with Metro B. The station houses a permanent exhibition of artefacts unearthed during construction, including remains of archaic wells and a settlement on the slopes of the Velian Hill.The architectural design is by studio Marzullo, while the museum displays were curated by the Colosseum Archaeological Park and designed by Sapienza University's department of architecture. The station was built by Roma Capitale through Roma Metropolitane, with contractor Metro C led by Webuild and Vianini Lavori.According to transport operator ATAC, the station has recorded around 51,000 daily validations since opening, with the city hailing the stop as a landmark that blends mobility, archaeology and architecture.   Photo credit: StudioLab Images / Shutterstock.com

  Rome opens the new Metro C subway station at the Colosseum for the first time  — Wanted in Rome (@wantedinrome)