Temple of Venus and Roma opens in Rome after 26-year restoration
ncient Rome's biggest temple reopened to the public on Thursday after 26 years of restoration work.
The massive Temple of Venus and Roma, in the heart of the Roman Forum and a stone's throw from the Colosseum, was designed and commissioned by the Emperor Hadrian in the 2nd century AD.
It was so large that a huge bronze statue of the Emperor Nero – known as the Colossus – had to be moved to another site.
The restoration of the temple was particularly welcome in a week in which a house used by gladiators prior to combat collapsed into a pile of rubble at Pompeii, prompting a national debate on Italy's management of its ancient sites....
The massive Temple of Venus and Roma, in the heart of the Roman Forum and a stone's throw from the Colosseum, was designed and commissioned by the Emperor Hadrian in the 2nd century AD.
It was so large that a huge bronze statue of the Emperor Nero – known as the Colossus – had to be moved to another site.
The restoration of the temple was particularly welcome in a week in which a house used by gladiators prior to combat collapsed into a pile of rubble at Pompeii, prompting a national debate on Italy's management of its ancient sites....