Colosseum closes early for Vance visit, tourists furious: protest

The visit of the family of U.S. Vice President J.D. Vance to the Colosseum sparked a strong protest among tourists, who found themselves barred from access to the monument due to an early closure to allow Vance and family members to be able to take their tour inside the Flavian Amphitheater. The decision, made for security reasons related to the Vance family’s presence, sparked controversy and discontent among visitors, many of whom complained of insufficient communication from authorities.

However, already last Thursday, April 17, the Colosseum Archaeological Park had in fact announced that yesterday, Saturday, April 19, the doors of the Amphitheater would close early: “On the occasion of the visit of a foreign personality, scheduled after the normal closing time of the monument,” the notice read, “the Questura of Rome has ordered the early closure of the Colosseum starting at 6 p.m. on Saturday, April 19, 2025. The last entry is therefore scheduled at 5 p.m. All tickets purchased for an entrance between 5 p.m. and 6:15 p.m. will be refunded.” An early closing time, then, since the Colosseum normally closes at 7:15 p.m. Visitors who had booked tours in the later time slots had been sent a cancellation email, containing all the information about the refund. In addition, all of the Park’s partner tour operators and tour guide trade associations had been informed.

Despite these measures, numerous tourists showed up at the gates of the Colosseum, finding them closed. Some of them expressed their disappointment by asking to enter anyway. The protests were also documented by videos circulated on social media, in which groups of visitors can be seen complaining about the inability to access the archaeological site.

The visit to the Colosseum was planned for the vice president’s wife, Usha Vance, and their three children. J.D. Vance did not attend the event: according to Corriere della Sera, he avoided it precisely because of the tourists’ protests. According to reports also in the via Solferino newspaper, the Vance family spent the day visiting some of Rome’s major tourist sites, including the Colosseum, the Roman Forum, and the Palatine Hill. During the visit, one of the couple’s sons was photographed with a gladiator helmet, purchased from a street vendor near the monument.

The Vance family’s presence in Rome is part of a private trip organized for the Easter holiday. As reported by ANSA, the vice president met with Cardinal Pietro Parolin at the Vatican, with whom he discussed issues such as peace, religious freedom and migration. The meeting took place in a cordial atmosphere and was a significant moment in relations between the United States and the Holy See.

However, protests by tourists excluded from visiting the Colosseum raised questions about the handling of communications by the relevant authorities. Despite efforts by the Archaeological Park to inform visitors, many of them said they had not received any communication about the early closure. Some expressed frustration that they had planned their visit well in advance, purchasing tickets and arranging travel, only to be faced with closed gates. Especially since the closure occurred during the Easter season, when the Colosseum is taken by storm: trying to book a new ticket this morning, the first availability is for Wednesday, April 23. And many of the “bounced” tourists probably had other plans: in essence, to allow Vance to visit probably many tourists, perhaps even from other continents, had to give up their dream of visiting the Colosseum.

The Colosseum Archaeological Park reiterated that it had followed all the procedures provided for situations of this kind, stressing the importance of ensuring the safety of visitors and public figures present.

However, the affair has been widely reported in the Italian and international media, because the issue is relevant and concerns the balance to be found between security needs and the right of tourists to access places of cultural interest, also in light of the fact that tourism represents a fundamental component of the Italian economy.

Colosseum closes early for Vance visit, tourists furious: protest

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