Colosseum 'safe' despite crumbling facade

Despite the fact that chunks of Rome's iconic Colosseum fell off this week, the monument is still safe, officials said Thursday. "The detachment from the Coliseum...is not to be underestimated, although I'm not worrying, said Umberto Broccoli, superintendent of cultural heritage for Rome. Weather extremes in 2012 have weakened elements of the monument and regular maintenance "is never enough," he said. One day earlier, an 11-square-meter area around the Colosseum was cordoned off after pieces fell from the monument's highest arcade, sounding alarms over the 2,000-year-old monument's 'health'. Plans for a major restoration of the Colosseum have overcome legal challenges and the work to be funded by shoe magnate Diego Della Valle will start in 2013. Surveyors on Wednesday said that adverse weather conditions contributed to the damage to the facade of the Colosseum or Flavian Amphitheatre, considered one of the greatest works of Roman architecture and engineering.