Snow damages Colosseum
2012-02-14 18:00
Rome - Heavy snow has caused extensive damage to the mediaeval walled town
of Urbino and further deteriorated the Colosseum in Rome, already badly in need
of repair, Italian newspapers reported on Tuesday.
Partial collapses have been reported at the convents of San Francesco and
San Bernardino in Urbino and the roof of the Church of the Capuchins outside
the town centre has completely caved in, La Repubblica reported.
There is also water damage in the town's 12th-century Duomo cathedral.
The roof at the Church of the Holy Cross in the nearby town of Urbania also
collapsed and a collection of paintings, drapes and ancient globes has had to
be removed from the town's Ducal Palace due to fears of a collapse.
Thirteenth-century church doors in the town of Cagli have also been damaged.
In Rome, fragments have fallen from the Colosseum which remains closed to
tourists. The famous Roman amphitheatre, which is at the centre of a busy road
junction, is blackened by pollution and has been losing pieces for years.
A long-delayed restoration of the 2 000-year-old monument is set to start
next month, with funding from Italian billionaire Diego Della Valle.
