Once-secret Emperor Commodus passage to Colosseum opens to public for first time

A view of the so-called Passage of Emperor Commodus, a newly restored tunnel ancient Roman emperors would use to enter the Colosseum unseen and protected (Andrew Medichini/AP)

For the first time in nearly 2,000 years, visitors to Rome’s world-renowned Colosseum will have the opportunity to walk through a hidden imperial passage that once allowed Roman emperors to reach the ancient amphitheatre unseen.

The once-secret corridor – known as the Commodus Passage and named after the Roman emperor featured in Ridley Scott’s film Gladiator – opens to the public on October 27, marking an extraordinary milestone in archaeological preservation and access.

Archaeologists at the Colosseum Archaeological Park explained that Roman emperors would use the passage to enter the arena unseen and protected, leading them directly to their reserved honour box overlooking the games.

A worker walks in the so-called Passage of Emperor Commodus, a newly restored tunnel ancient Roman emperors would use to enter the Colosseum unseen and protected, that will open to visitors at the end of the month (Andrew Medichini/AP)

The passage was named after Emperor Commodus, who lived between 180 and 192 AD, when it was initially discovered in the 1810s.

Commodus was known to be passionate about gladiators’ games and history relates that while he was passing through the tunnel someone attempted to assassinate him, but was unsuccessful.

At the passage entrance, archaeologists discovered remnants of decorative elements directly related to arena spectacles, including depictions of boar hunts, bear fights and acrobatic performances.

A view of the entrance, centre, of the so-called Passage of Emperor Commodus (Andrew Medichini/AP)

These artistic elements provided a fitting prelude to the brutal entertainments that awaited beyond, they noted.

The corridor is shaped as an “S” and continues outside the Colosseum arena, but its final destination remains uncertain.

“Visitors can now have a taste of what it was like to be an emperor entering the arena,” said Barbara Nazzaro, the architect who oversaw the restoration works.

Visitors admire the Colosseum, where the so-called Passage of Emperor Commodus will open to visitors at the end of the month (Andrew Medichini/AP)

“With a little effort of imagination and the help of a virtual reconstruction, they can appreciate the decorations, stuccoes, frescoes and marbles that covered the walls.”

The project – completed between October 2024 and September 2025 – included structural conservation, restoration of decorative stuccoes and plasters and the installation of a new walkway.

Workers walk in the so-called Passage of Emperor Commodus in Rome (Andrew Medichini/AP)

A new lighting system recreates the natural light that once filtered through small vault openings, and a digital reconstruction helps visitors visualise the passage’s original appearance.

A second restoration project, expected to begin in early 2026, will involve the section of the tunnel extending beyond the perimeter of the Colosseum.