Overview

• Giovanna Maria Giomarino collapsed around 17:30 on Tuesday while leading about 25 tourists on the Colosseum’s first floor and was pronounced dead when an ambulance arrived.
• Several visitors attempted resuscitation before emergency services reached the scene, according to accounts cited by media and unionized guides.
• Colleagues say she had felt unwell earlier in the day and note that temperatures in Rome were still above 30°C, with heat known to accumulate inside the monument.
• Italy’s tourism minister offered condolences, and Culture Minister Alessandro Giuli ordered the Colosseum’s lights switched off on Wednesday at 9 p.m. as a sign of mourning.
• The Colosseum’s administration confirmed the death, and guides’ unions argue that heavy visitor flows and difficult working conditions are putting staff safety at risk, pointing to 14.7 million paying visitors last year.