Italy’s cultural and art sectors and ancient relics have become another victim of the euro zone crisis, which has forced the Italian government to tighten its belt and slash culture-related budgets.

The Italian government devised a tough austerity budget plan to reduce state debts. Under the plan, Italy allocates just zero-point-21 percent of gross domestic product to the cultural and art sectors.

The Italian government decided to use roughly one billion euros from a European Union rescue fund for repairing and maintaining ancient relics. But the execution of the budget has been delayed.

While the funds remain locked up, the two-thousand-year-old Colosseum is gathering dust and falling apart in downtown Rome.

The Italian government is struggling to attract private investors by offering various incentives, such as allowing the filming of movies and ads against the backdrop of relics.