'Gladiators' Will Fight in the Colosseum Again

The ancient Roman Colosseum will be the venue of gladiator fights—albeit staged—for the first time in two millennia under a $1.5 million sponsorship deal with Airbnb that aims to promote "a more conscious tourism," per the AP. Critics beg to differ.

• The contest: Eight of the platform's users and their plus-ones will be able to participate in faux gladiator fights after the Colosseum's closing time on May 7-8, taking the same underground route used by gladiators in ancient Rome to reach the arena. People can apply for the experience starting on Nov. 27 at no cost, and the "gladiators" will be chosen by lottery. The application is here.

• Film tie-in: The deal was done in conjunction with the release of Ridley Scott's new film, Gladiators II, which opened in Italy on Thursday, says Alfonsina Russo, superintendent of the Colosseum Archaeological Park. The sponsorship will cover the renewal of an educational program inside the ancient Roman amphitheater on the history of the structure and gladiators. Russo characterized the arrangement as one of the many such deals to help finance projects at the park.
• Criticism: Alberto Campailla, the coordinator of the Nonna Roma nonprofit organization that focuses on housing and food for the poor, called the campaign with Airbnb "a disgrace," and a form of "touristification." Airbnb and other platforms offering short-term rentals "are literally driving people out of not only the city center, but also the outskirts and suburban neighborhoods," Campailla said.
• Criticism, II: Tourists from other European cities grappling with overtourism also took issue with the deal. "It seems to me that the purpose of the Colosseum today is to be a tourist attraction, but not to create an amusement park within it," said Jaime Montero, a tourist visiting from Madrid. "In the end, tourism eats the essence of the cities, here in Rome, as in other capitals."

(More Colosseum stories.)