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New Rome Metro Stations Showcase Ancient Treasures After Years of Delays

People examine artifacts on display during the inauguration of the Colosseo Fori Imperiali stop on Metro Line C in Rome, Italy, 16 December 2025. (EPA)
People examine artifacts on display during the inauguration of the Colosseo Fori Imperiali stop on Metro Line C in Rome, Italy, 16 December 2025. (EPA)
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New Rome Metro Stations Showcase Ancient Treasures After Years of Delays

People examine artifacts on display during the inauguration of the Colosseo Fori Imperiali stop on Metro Line C in Rome, Italy, 16 December 2025. (EPA)
People examine artifacts on display during the inauguration of the Colosseo Fori Imperiali stop on Metro Line C in Rome, Italy, 16 December 2025. (EPA)

After years of delays and spiraling costs, Rome inaugurated two new metro stations on Tuesday, including one by the Colosseum, showcasing archaeological discoveries that might become tourist attractions in their own right.

The driverless Metro C line now stretches from the Italian capital's eastern suburbs to Porta Metronia and the Colosseum, extending its reach into the historic city center.

Future plans will take it even deeper under Rome's baroque heart, beneath the river Tiber and onto the Vatican, though the next stop at Piazza Venezia is not expected to open before 2032.

Excavations for the new stations revealed remarkable finds, which slowed work as archaeologists painstakingly preserved layers of ancient Rome they hadn't known were there.

At Porta Metronia, drilling rigs uncovered a military barracks dating back 2,000 years, as well as a residential house, complete with frescoed rooms and mosaics, which are preserved in a museum within the station.

During the Colosseum excavations, workers discovered 28 ancient wells and hundreds of everyday artifacts, including hairpins, oil lamps, irrigation pipes, knives, and statues, many of which are on show.

"These two stations will travel around the world," Transport Minister Matteo Salvini said on Tuesday, predicting they would soon flood social media.

"Beyond serving commuters and Romans, anyone who comes here from Italy or from abroad will stop in these stations. They might take the metro even if they don't need it, just to enjoy the ride," he added.

LONG DELAYS, COST HIKES

Rome's Metro C was meant to link the city's two main Basilicas by the year 2000. Instead, the line only reached the imposing San Giovanni Basilica in 2018, and the Vatican station near St. Peter's Basilica won't be ready for at least another decade.

The initial plan to build 24 stations to the Colosseum was priced at 2.23 billion euros ($2.63 billion), but costs have surged past 3 billion euros, and the entire line could exceed 6 billion by the time the final seven stations are completed.

Engineers say Rome is among the most challenging cities in the world for metro construction, due to buried archaeological sites that require safeguarding and concerns that vibrations could damage the heritage above ground.

At the next stop, at Piazza Venezia, a construction team is digging an 85-meter deep (280 feet) ring around the site which will be filled with reinforced concrete to protect the six underground floors of the station that are being dug out.

Rome Mayor Roberto Gualtieri said it was worth the effort.

"Without these major works, we would never have discovered the barracks at Porta Metronia, we would never have found these wells, and today we would have known far less about our extraordinary past," he said.

Metro C is intended to carry 600,000 passengers a day, easing Rome's notorious traffic and speeding tourists between major landmarks. At present it carries 41,000 daily, but the new openings should see numbers climb.

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Culture

Venice Mayor Proposes Dynamic Pricing for Day-Trippers with 50-Euro Ceiling

Stewards check tourists QR code access outside the main train station in Venice, Italy, on April 25, 2024. (AP)
Stewards check tourists QR code access outside the main train station in Venice, Italy, on April 25, 2024. (AP)
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Venice Mayor Proposes Dynamic Pricing for Day-Trippers with 50-Euro Ceiling

Stewards check tourists QR code access outside the main train station in Venice, Italy, on April 25, 2024. (AP)
Stewards check tourists QR code access outside the main train station in Venice, Italy, on April 25, 2024. (AP)

Venice’s new mayor is proposing a dynamic pricing system for the city’s three-year-old day-tripper access fee, seeking government approval to raise the charge to as much as 50 euros ($59) on the busiest days to ease overcrowding in the UNESCO world heritage city.

Mayor Simone Venturini told The Associated Press in an interview Friday that the current 10-euro fee for last-minute reservations has not done enough to discourage visitors on peak days. Instead of imposing a fixed higher fee, the city wants to enact a form of surge-pricing, allowing the charge to rise with demand on the busiest days.

Venturini said the system would both discourage overcrowding and help cover the costs of maintaining the city.

“We spend 100 million euros a year just to maintain Venice physically, and nobody gives us that money. Not Europe. Not the Italian state. International critics don’t pay it either. It’s paid by the people of Venice, and in part through tourism taxes,” said Venturini, who was elected mayor last month after serving as the city’s top tourism official when the day-tripper tax was launched in 2024.

The access fee itself has been widely criticized by activists, housing advocates and opposition politicians for not doing enough to ease crowding in the city, while reducing Venice to a tourist attraction by charging admission. They also say the focus is too much on managing tourist flows, and not enough on bringing more residents back to the historic part of the city.

Venturini said the money is necessary to clean and maintain the city. The proposal for a surge-pricing structure would require an amendment to Italy’s special law governing Venice, and Venturini said he had already discussed the idea with the tourism minister.

“Day-trippers obviously generate waste — they eat, they drink, they throw things away. That comes at a huge cost,” which he said are driven up “because everything has to be done by hand, with brooms, boats and handcarts.”

While the 50-euro price proposal has made headlines and drawn criticism for being prohibitive for many visitors, particularly families, Venturini said the amount was chosen as an upper limit, giving the city room to experiment with different pricing levels. He said they are still working with researchers to determine the right threshold.

“If, for example, more than 40,000 people had already booked for a given day, those above that threshold might be asked to pay a little more—20, 25 or 30 euros,” Venturini said. “We asked for a broad range, up to 50 euros, and then it would be up to the city to manage the system through further testing. It doesn’t mean everyone who comes to Venice would pay 50 euros.”

While opposition politicians have proposed putting a cap on the number of visitors a day, Venturini said current Italian law does not allow that.

The number of residents of Venice’s canaled historic center has dropped to below 48,000 — while the number of tourist beds has risen to more than 51,500, according to the most recent figures tracked by the Ocio housing advocacy group from January.

Venturini argued that the city’s population is understated because many students and seasonal workers spend most of the year in Venice without registering as residents.

“That doesn’t mean we are satisfied. We need to do more,” he said.

Venice collected 2.4 million euros on 29 peak days from more than 485,000 day-trippers during the test phase in 2024. That rose to 5.4 million euros last year after Venice increased the number of days to 54 and doubled the fee to 10 euros for last-minute registrations on the city platform. This year, an additional six days have been added, but no figures have yet been released on arrivals or revenues.

Venturini said the money collected covers “only a small part of the costs of managing tourism.”

“The goal is not to raise money or to turn Venice into a ticketed city,” he said. “The goal is to give both residents and visitors a better experience on days when the city would otherwise be too crowded.”

Culture

Historic Jeddah’s Red Sea Museum Showcases Rare Manuscripts from Ancient Hajj Sea Voyages

Other key exhibits include diverse religious artifacts, works on the Prophet’s biography, and poems of praise - SPA
Other key exhibits include diverse religious artifacts, works on the Prophet’s biography, and poems of praise - SPA
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Historic Jeddah’s Red Sea Museum Showcases Rare Manuscripts from Ancient Hajj Sea Voyages

Other key exhibits include diverse religious artifacts, works on the Prophet’s biography, and poems of praise - SPA
Other key exhibits include diverse religious artifacts, works on the Prophet’s biography, and poems of praise - SPA

The Red Sea Museum in Historic Jeddah stands as a prominent testament to the historic relationship linking the Red Sea to maritime Hajj pilgrimages across the centuries.

Through a specialized pavilion, the museum displays a rare collection of illuminated copies of the Holy Quran, Islamic books, historical manuscripts, and maps that once accompanied pilgrims on their sea voyages to Makkah.

The pavilion features illuminated copies of the Holy Quran dating back to various historical periods, including 17th-century Chinese manuscripts, 19th-century Kashmiri texts, and a small Ottoman Quran copy. Each piece is distinguished by intricate gold decorations, artistic calligraphy, and exquisite binding, showcasing the high level of precision achieved in the historical art of copying Quranic manuscripts, SPA reported.

Other key exhibits include diverse religious artifacts, works on the Prophet’s biography, and poems of praise. A standout feature is a landmark manuscript from 1506 CE documenting scenes from the Two Holy Mosques, which remains one of the most prominent historical works detailing Hajj.

By highlighting the historical care given to the Holy Quran, including the evolution of calligraphy, ornamentation, and bookbinding, the pavilion offers a deeply enriched cultural experience for visitors. It documents the spiritual and human journey of millions of pilgrims, serving as an enduring record of faith and heritage along one of the world's most significant historical routes.

Culture

Visitors Flock to Hira Cultural District for Immersive Islamic Heritage Experiences

The district is among the key projects highlighting Makkah's cultural and civilizational dimension in line with Saudi Vision 2030 - SPA
The district is among the key projects highlighting Makkah's cultural and civilizational dimension in line with Saudi Vision 2030 - SPA
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Visitors Flock to Hira Cultural District for Immersive Islamic Heritage Experiences

The district is among the key projects highlighting Makkah's cultural and civilizational dimension in line with Saudi Vision 2030 - SPA
The district is among the key projects highlighting Makkah's cultural and civilizational dimension in line with Saudi Vision 2030 - SPA

The Hira Cultural District in Makkah is witnessing a growing influx of domestic and international visitors with the start of the summer vacation, cementing its status as one of the Holy Capital's most prominent cultural and educational destinations.

Located at the foot of Mount Hira, home to Hira Cave, where revelation first descended upon Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him), the district offers educational content through modern interactive technologies that blend authenticity with innovation, SPA reported.

The Revelation Exhibition, the district's most prominent component, documents the story of the first revelation through visual and audio presentations. The district also houses the Holy Quran Museum, which displays rare Quranic manuscripts and traces the stages of writing and developing the Holy Quran across Islamic eras.

Supporting facilities include open squares, restaurants, cafés, shops, and visitor reception areas, providing a suitable environment for families and visitors of all nationalities.

The district is among the key projects highlighting Makkah's cultural and civilizational dimension in line with Saudi Vision 2030's objectives to develop the cultural and tourism sectors and showcase Islamic heritage.