Italian tour guide association renews demands for changes to summer opening hours after a tour guide dies whilst working in extreme heat.
Giovanna Maria Giammarino, 56, collapsed inside the Colosseum at 6pm on Tuesday. She could not be revived despite the efforts of tourists and emergency services.
Her death followed warnings from the World Federation of Tourist Guide Associations that extreme heat was now a permanent challenge for the profession.
Italy’s Certified Tour Guide Association (AGTA) said her death highlighted the strain placed on guides. It urged the profession be formally recognised as physically demanding. “Almost all guides already suffer from conditions that normally appear in older people or athletes,” the group said. Long hours on uneven ground, heavy bags, and extreme temperatures, it added, lead to early arthritis, fractures and other health problems.
AGTA argued that poor pensions and economic insecurity forced many guides to work at unsustainable pace. The COVID-19 pandemic, it said, had left the category especially vulnerable. “A guide left us forever yesterday, but in recent years too many have left this activity for other ‘safer’ and less demanding jobs,” the association stated.
Call to change opening hours
It urged authorities to open the Colosseum Archaeological Park earlier in summer and close later in the evening.
“Working at the Roman Forum from 10am to 4.30pm has been unbearable for years,” AGTA said. The association proposed hours of 7am to 8.15pm from June until at least the end of August.
The statement also raised concerns over accessibility inside the Colosseum. Current rules require all groups to use steep stairs if lifts are unavailable. AGTA said this put visitors and guides at risk, and called for additional elevators and safer routes.
The association further questioned how ticket revenues were being used since the Colosseum took over management from a private operator in May 2024. It argued that extended hours would not only improve safety but also boost income. AGTA called on the park’s new director, Alfonsina Russo Quilici, to open talks with guide associations and create a permanent forum to improve conditions.
The Colosseum’s authorities offered condolences to Giammarino’s family, praising her professionalism. Culture Minister Alessandro Giuli said her death underscored the value of those who protect Italy’s heritage. The Colosseum turned off its lights on Wednesday night in mourning.
Italy’s national tour guide federation, Federagit, also recently urged earlier opening hours. Francesca Duimich, representing 300 Roman guides, warned of regular medical incidents in summer. “The forum is a pit; there is no shade, there is no wind. Being there at 1pm or 2pm means you will feel unwell,” she said.
