HERITAGE HEROES

From Italy to Indonesia, major restoration works are underway to preserve and improve some of the world’s most historic sites

Italy

It’s seen beasts, battles and bloody executions, and now the world’s most iconic arena is seeing… a floor. An architecture company has won a contract to restore the Colosseum’s floor to its former glory and allow visitors to admire the 1,950-year-old edifice from its centre, where gladiators once fought. Set for completion in 2023, the 32,300sq ft surface will be made up of hundreds of wooden slats that can retract to let light and air into the chambers beneath — the same spaces where gladiators and wild animals would wait before entering the arena. parcocolosseo.it/en

Indonesia

Coral reefs are among the planet’s oldest ecosystems, but they face a perilous future. At the Sheba Hope Reef, off the island of Sulawesi, 19,000 reef stars, seeded with 285,000 coral fragments, have been planted as part of what’s hailed as the world’s biggest coral restoration project. The scheme is led by cat food brand Sheba, whose aim to ensure a sustainable fish population benefits our feline friends, as well as the 500 million people whose livelihoods depend on reefs. Check out the channel on YouTube, where a percentage of the revenue from adverts helps to fund the project. shebahopegrows.com

England

Hadrian’s Wall marks its

1,900th anniversary next year and is set to receive £30m in government and charity funding, with the goal of improving transport links and upgrading visitor centres. It’s hoped the wall will become one of the nation’s top landmarks. Key to the strategy is its Game of Thrones connection — the Wall in George R R Martin’s novels was inspired by a visit to the site. english-heritage.org.uk

France

After numerous setbacks following the 2019 blaze, the restoration of Notre-Dame cathedral is set to pick up the pace this summer. Charity Friends of Notre-Dame de

Paris has set up an appeal for donations to help preserve the church’s treasures. Donors can choose where their money goes — whether it’s on artworks, holy relics or the famous grotesques. restorenotredame.org

CONNOR MCGOVERN