“Perché non restituire al Colosseo l’arena che un tempo accoglieva giochi e spettacoli?”

This paper is inspired by an episode of 2014 in which Daniele proposed the idea of giving back to the Colosseum its function, hosting reconstructors and historical reenactors for a “Time Travel” event based on gladiatorial games. In commenting and contextualizing both the proposal and the reactions it has raised, I take this opportunity to analyze the possible links between those who do research and those who use re-enactment as a mean of communication. Such a relationship requires efforts and adjustments on both sides and it has never really taken off, surely not in a European perspective. In fact, especially in Italy, there is a tangible divergence between the scope of research and that of dissemination and of cultural tourism, which is damaging everyone. Making current research more widely available should therefore be a crucial objective for the academic world and the desire for communication should lead to a cooperation between performers and researchers.