Rome 'fighting' to restore Colosseum

ROME, Jan. 27 (UPI) -- A consumer group is holding up plans to restore Italy's crumbling Colosseum, Rome Mayor Gianni Alemanno said.

The group, Codacons, is opposed to a sponsorship plan that gives shoe magnate Diego Della Valle exclusive rights to use the Colosseum logo for 15 years, ANSA reported.

"It took us two years of man-to-man fighting against red tape to get the sponsorship by Della Valle approved and we're going to keep on fighting," Alemanno said.

Della Valle stepped in to bankroll the project after several other groups dropped out, ANSA said. The $33 million restoration project is scheduled to begin in March.

The Colosseum is considered one of the greatest works of Roman architecture and engineering.