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The pyramid of Caius Cestius is on a thoroughfare in the south side of old Rome. This file is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 Unported license.

When in Rome, Japanese man inspired to restore pyramid

The pyramid of Caius Cestius is on a thoroughfare in the south side of old Rome. This file is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 Unported license.
The pyramid of Caius Cestius is on a thoroughfare in the south side of old Rome. This file is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 Unported license.

ROME (AFP) – A Japanese businessman has agreed to invest around one $1.3 million to restore a 2,000-year-old Roman pyramid in the Italian capital, La Repubblica daily reported on Thursday.

Yuzo Yagi, a fashion business owner from Osaka, is due to sign the agreement later this month. The pyramid was built in A.D. 13 as a tomb for Roman magistrate Gaius Cestius. Work is set to start in April, officials said.

“His dream is to leave a mark in our country. Last year, he visited the pyramid and was struck by how remarkable it was,” Rita Paris, who manages the monument on behalf of the state, was quoted as saying.

Yagi’s only request is for a plaque with his name on it near the monument.

The project will include the use of probes to determine whether there are any secret chambers built into the 118-foot-high pyramid after recent ultrasonic testing found some gaps in the structure.

Like the Colosseum, which is also preparing for a major restoration project next year, the pyramid is at the center of a busy road junction.


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The pyramid of Caius Cestius is on a thoroughfare in the south side of old Rome. This file is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 Unported license.
The pyramid of Caius Cestius is on a thoroughfare in the south side of old Rome. This file is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 Unported license.