New route makes visits to Roman Forum easier.

The Roman Forum has opened a new pathway for wheelchair-users, families with pushchairs and people with difficulty walking.

The new "barrier-free" walkway begins at the Via Sacra and includes access to monuments such as the Temple of Vesta, the Temple of Romulus, the Lacus Iuturnae and the Temple of Antoninus and Faustina.

The smooth-surfaced pathway, which will be extended to the Palatine hill complex in the spring, is part of a broader plan that the city's archaeological superintendency intends to introduce at other archaeological sites such as Ostia Antica.

The Roman Forum is also expected to open a new ticket office on 8 December, the first day of the Vatican's Holy Jubilee Year of Mercy. Metal detectors are also to be installed at the main entrances to the Forum, and at the Colosseum.