Italian Culture Minister Dario Franceschini inaugurated the reopening to the public of Pompeii’s Palestra Grande (Large Gymnasium) along with a permanent exposition of frescoes from the nearby town Moregine.
The Palaestra is the area that would be used for practising things such as boxing and wrestling. The Pompeiian Palaestra is located next to the Amphitheatre, and was built sometime in the Augustan Period and covers an area of about 140 x 130 metres, with a swimming pool in the centre measuring around 34 x 22 metres. The central exercise area is surrounded on three sides by a collumed palaestra. The columns are covered in graffiti from regular users of the Palestra.
As said by Franceschini, “A few negative episodes won’t cancel the formidable strength of this work.” The ancient Roman city has been dogged by labour strife recently, along with structural frailties, service dysfunctions, shut-off homes and other long-running problems.
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