On the first Saturday of August, a funny thing happened to 150,000 people on their way to the Forum.
While a pianist and sax player set the mood, people looked upward and watched anxiously as acrobat Andrea Loreni made his way slowly on a tightrope stretched across Via dei Fori Imperiali, the wide avenue flanking the Roman Forum and leading to the Coliseum.
The acrobat's walk was meant as a metaphor, a bridge reuniting ancient squares.
Dictator Benito Mussolini built the avenue in the 1920's as a tribute to Fascism's imperial aspirations. In the process, he destroyed a densely populated neighborhood and separated the forums of the emperors Trajan, Augustus, Caesar and Nerva.
In 1953, the thoroughfare was immortalized by Audrey Hepburn and Gregory Peck on a scooter ride in the movie Roman Holiday.
Since then, traffic has gotten out of control, with some 1,600 motorists an hour using it at peak times. But now, pedestrians won't have to plug their ears against beeping horns or duck for cover from speeding SUVs. The new restrictions mean the Coliseum is no longer a traffic circle.
Buses and taxis will still be able to use the via dei Fori Imperiali leading up to the Coliseum, but a 20 mile-per-hour speed limit has been put in place.
The mayor, Ignazio Marino, hopes to eventually close several more streets around the ancient monuments, ultimately leading to the Apian Way, to create what he calls the biggest archaeological park in the world.
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