ROME (Reuters) -A once-secret passageway in the Colosseum, named after the fearsome ancient Roman emperor who features in the Hollywood blockbuster “Gladiator”, has opened to the public for the first time.

The so-called Commodus Passage allowed emperors to enter the arena and watch gladiator fights and other spectacles without mixing with crowds.

It was cut through the Colosseum’s foundations between the end of the 1st century AD and the beginning of the 2nd century AD, in an addition to the original design.

The Colosseum was inaugurated in 80 AD.

“This passage is now open to the public, it’s the first time. And so (visitors will) appreciate what it was like to be an emperor,” archaeologist Barbara Nazzaro told Reuters.

The corridor was discovered in the 19th century, and linked to Co

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