As a tie-in with the new “Gladiator II,” Airbnb has partnered with the studio to offer 16 tourists a chance to “unleash their inner gladiator’ by booking a free experience at the Colosseum. The lucky winners take part in a “mock battle” against each other in full gladiatorial garb at night in May 2025.
“You will feel the adrenaline rush, the sand between your fingers, and the weight of your armor. You will hear the echoes of gladiators past in the Colosseum’s catacombs and the unmistakable clank of steel in its arena. You will see the moon’s reflection off the travertine stone through the sweat dripping down your face. You will become a gladiator,” promises Airbnb.
But not everyone is happy about the 2,000-year-old venue being used this way.
At a time when many Italian cities are struggling with over-tourism, this was one experience too far.
“A publicity stunt by Airbnb which, after having effectively taken possession of the historic center, completely distorting it and turning it into a large tourist park, now wants to ridicule the Colosseum,” said Enzo Foschi, a politician with the ruling Democratic party.
“We are not in Disneyland, we are in Rome. Every now and then someone seems to forget it,’ he added.