Gladiator-style fights are set to return to Rome’s iconic Colosseum next year in the first such event in over 1,500 years, as part of a spectacle organized by Airbnb.
The ancient arena, which once held up to 70,000 spectators, will welcome a select group of around two dozen guests on two evenings in May. To secure a spot, hopeful attendees can enter a lottery starting Wednesday at 3 pm (1400 GMT) and running until December 10.
The initiative has faced backlash in Italy’s capital, however. Holiday rental platforms like Airbnb already face criticism for exacerbating the shortage of affordable housing by renting out apartments to tourists on a short-term basis.
In Rome, this issue is particularly severe, prompting strong opposition from local citizens’ initiatives. Another major criticism is the transformation of the UNESCO World Heritage site into a type of leisure park, drawing comparisons to “Disneyland.”
With about 7 million tourists per year, the Colosseum is one of Italy’s most…