Lightning damages Rome’s famous tourist attraction as freak storm hits

The freak weather was a so-called ‘downburst’, Rome Mayor Roberto Gualtieri said

A tourist takes photos of the 315 A.D Arch of Constantine, near the Colosseum, in Rome, Wednesday, September 4 (AP)

Rome‘s famous Constantine Arch near the Colosseum has been damaged by a lightning strike during a violent thunderstorm, loosening fragments from the ancient structure.

The fragments from Tuesday’s lightning strike were immediately gathered and secured by workers at the Colosseum Archeological Park, officials said. The extent of the damage was being evaluated.

“The recovery work by technicians was timely. Our workers arrived immediately after the lightning strike. All of the fragments were recovered and secured,’’ the park said in a statement.

The honorary arch, more than 20 meters (nearly 70 feet) in height, was erected in 315 A.D. to celebrate the victory of Emperor Constantine over Maxentius following the battle at Milvian Bridge.

It is about 25 metres (82 feet) high and is located in the same pedestrian area where the Colosseum stands, a major tourist hotspot.

“A lightning strike hit the arch right here and then hit the corner and we saw this fly off,” a tourist told Reuters, pointing to a large block of stone fallen to the ground.

Workers inspect the 315 A.D Arch of Constantine, near the Colosseum, in Rome, Wednesday, Sept. 4, 2024, after lightning struck it during a storm (AP)

Video images showed other blocks of stone and rubble lying around the monument, and archaeological park staff working to collect them.

“All fragments were recovered and secured. Damage assessments have already begun and the analyses will continue tomorrow morning,” the archaeological park said.

The arch was hit on its southern side, where pre-scheduled conservation work had started two days ago and which will now also focus on repairing the damage, it added.

Workers on site with cranes gather up fragments and secure broken areas of the 315 A.D Arch of Constantine (AP)

The accident took place during a heavy thunderstorm that felled trees and branches and flooded several streets of the Italian capital.

The Civil Protection agency said 60 millimetres (2.36 inches) of rain fell on central Rome in less than one hour, about as much as would normally fall in a month during autumn.

The freak weather was a so-called “downburst”, Rome Mayor Roberto Gualtieri said, referring to the kind of severe storm, featuring powerful downward winds, believed to have also caused last month’s sinking of British tech tycoon Mike Lynch’s yacht off Sicily.

“The event that hit Rome is truly unprecedented, because it was so powerful and concentrated in a very short time and in some areas of the city, starting from the historic center,” Gualtieri said in a statement.