Staged battles have returned to the Colosseum as touts defy officials to sell tickets to the amphitheatre at inflated prices.
Scalpers have been using autonomous online programs to snap up tokens as soon as they emerge. Tickets to the ancient Roman theatre of grand spectacles officially cost €16 but touts are selling them on websites for up to €80.
Reports suggest that for the past seven months official tickets have been difficult to find online.
Alessandro Onorato, Rome’s tourism chief, called on Gennaro Sangiuliano, Italy’s culture minister, to intervene. A source at the culture ministry said the government planned to introduce named tickets for visitors, who would have to produce photo ID.
A similar measure is used to combat football touts. In a further measure,