On Friday, 15 May, the Parco archeologico del Colosseo gives tribute to Gianni Rodari, master of fantasy and the written word, participating in the official celebrations for the writer’s 100^th birthday, “100GianniRodari“.

The PArCo has decided to give back to its youngest visitors, inviting them to explore the PArCo’s monuments from home with the fairy tale “The man who stole the Colosseum”, from the anthology “Fairy tales over the phone”, dedicated to the iconic monument itself, humankind’s cultural heritage. The story will be one of the day’s focal points, with its message on sharing cultural treasures and the reflection on the role they play for all of us, starting with children.

At 21:00, on the  YouTube del PArCo, tune in to hear actor Vinicio Marchioni as he virtually reads the fairy tale to our young visitors, from the comic illustrated by Silvio Costa, who has worked with the PArCo in the past for the comic “Semplicemente Mitico!”.

The comic will be available from 17:00 on sito web del PArCo, free to download in two versions: one in black and white, the other in color. The color version of the comic is the Colosseum’s gift to each child; the black and white version is a gift that each child can give to his or her friends. 

Up until 30 June, the PArCo is accepting submissions of kids’ colored in and reinterpreted comics, which should be submitted with the young artist’s name and his or her parents’ e-mail address, to be displayed in an exhibition inside the Colosseum: all the kids who’ve sent in their work, accompanied by a parent or guardian, will be invited to see their comics on display for the public as soon as the Colosseum reopens its doors.

Colored in comics can be scanned and e-mailed to pa-colosseo.didattica@beniculturali.it; mailed, in a sealed envelope, to the address Parco archeologico del Colosseo, Piazza Santa Maria Nova 53, 00186 Roma; or delivered directly to the Colosseum offices (7 days a week, 9:00 – 18:00), where a special collection box will be located next to the gate for regular entry into the park (for info, please contact us at 06 774 0091).