After 2 1/2 years of work to shore up the Colosseum’s underground passages, tourists will be able to go down and wander through part of what what had been the ancient arena’s “backstage.” Italy’s culture minister on Friday formally announced the completion of work to shore-up and restore the underground section in the presence of the founder of Tod’s, the shoe and luxury goods maker, who has footed the bill.

During the centuries when spectators filled the Colosseum to watch spectacles replete with gladiators and wild animals, the public was forbidden from venturing below stage level. The ban lasted from 80 A.D. when the amphitheater was inaugurated, until the last show in 523.