Rome’s Colosseum extends cool night tours as heatwaves scorch city

As temperatures soar across Rome, the Colosseum is keeping its doors open later into the evening, with guided tours now running until 11pm four nights a week. Up to 275 visitors can join each tour on Tuesdays, Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays, and the summer programme is already fully booked. After dark, visitors can explore the arena floor and underground passages away from the worst of the heat.

The monument previously offered night tours on just two evenings a week, but the schedule has been doubled for the summer. Simone Quilici, director of the Colosseum Archaeological Park, said the extension was designed to give visitors a cooler alternative during Rome’s heatwaves. Backed by funding from Italy’s culture ministry, the programme could continue until September.

Built in the first century, the Colosseum remains the world’s largest amphitheatre, accommodating around 50,000 spectators and drawing up to 20,000 visitors a day at the height of the tourist season.