Rome’s Colosseum is the city’s—and arguably Italy’s—most iconic and historic monument. It may also be the country’s biggest cash cow. The nearly-2,000 year old amphitheater sits in the heart of ancient Rome, and its emblematic nature has placed it on the bucket lists of many world travelers, attracting well over seven million visitors annually before the pandemic.
The Colosseum contributes around 1.39 billion euros (around $1.4 billion) a year to Italy’s GDP from tourism and related activities, in addition to employing around 42,700 full-time staff, according to a new report out this week by financial services company Deloitte. But the actual value of the monument to Italy, and the financial lengths to which Italians would be willing to protect it, might actually be far higher.
