Lightning strike partially damages Rome’s ancient Constantine Arch

Tourists visiting the site Wednesday found some stray fragments, which they turned over to park workers due to concerns they might have fallen from the arch.

Authorities in Italy on Wednesday began work to secure Rome’s Constantine Arch after a lightning strike broke fragments from the ancient monument.
A violent thunder and lightning storm that felled trees and flooded streets in the Italian capital damaged the honorary arch late Tuesday afternoon.
Fragments of white marble were gathered and secured by workers for the Colosseum Archeological Park as soon as the storm cleared, officials said.
“The recovery work by technicians was timely. Our workers arrived immediately after the lightning strike. All of the fragments were recovered and secured,” the park said in a statement.
Tourists visiting the site Wednesday found some stray fragments, which they turned over to park workers out of concern they may have fallen from the arch.
“It is kind of surreal that we found pieces,” said Jana Renfro, a 69-year-old tourist from the US state of Indiana. She said she found the fragments about three meters from the monument’s base.
The group’s tour guide, Serena Giuliani, praised them for turning over the found pieces, saying it showed “great sensitivity for Roman antiquities.”
Authorities in the Italian capital say the extent of the damage is currently being evaluated.
“The power of the storm was sudden and was not predicted by any weather forecast,” according to Sabrina Alfonsi, Rome’s councillor responsible for the environment.
Standing at more than 20 metres in height, the 1,700-year-old arch was erected in A.D. 315 to celebrate the victory of Emperor Constantine over Maxentius following the battle at Milvian Bridge.