Italy’s Colosseum closes after worker falls and dies while installing new lighting system

• Italy’s Culture Minister ordered the Colosseum to close for one day after a worker died falling while installing new lighting inside the monument.
• The 22-year-old technician, Andrea Moretti, died from his fall, prompting suspension of all construction work at the site.
• The closure followed protests from Italy’s biggest union demanding safety and transparency, highlighting ongoing risks at this historic tourist attraction.

ROME - Italy’s Culture Minister Alessandro Giuli ordered the one-day closure of the Colosseum on Sept 23 as a mark of respect, after a worker was killed overnight in an accident.

Andrea Moretti, a 22-year-old technician, died after falling several metres while installing a new lighting system inside the ancient Roman arena.

Built 2,000 years ago, the Colosseum was the biggest amphitheatre in the Roman Empire, used to host gladiator fights, executions and animal hunts.

It is Italy’s most visited tourist attraction.

“The news of the tragic death of Andrea Moretti, a skilled worker who died overnight... has deeply shocked and saddened us,” Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni said.

Culture Minister Giuli also ordered the suspension of all construction and maintenance work at the Colosseum until further notice.

Initially, only a partial closure of the monument was announced, but this drew protests from Italy’s biggest union, the CGIL.

“Humanity comes before tourists,” said Natale di Cola, the CGIL’s Rome chief, adding that the union was calling on Giuli to explain all the circumstances surrounding Moretti’s accident.

The incident comes less than a year after the death of a Romanian worker who was trapped for hours under the rubble of a partially collapsed medieval tower near the Colosseum in November 2025. REUTERS