Italian guide collapses and dies while leading Colosseum tour in searing heat

There have been calls for the Colosseum’s opening hours to be extended so tours can take place in the cool of the early morning or later in the evening. Photograph: Tiziana Fabi/AFP/Getty Images

Tour guides in Rome have repeated their calls for a rethink of the summer opening hours of some of the city’s biggest attractions after one of their colleagues died of a suspected heart attack while showing a group around the Colosseum in baking heat.

Giovanna Maria Giammarino, who was 56, collapsed in the amphitheatre at 6pm on Tuesday. Despite the efforts of tourists and the emergency services, she could not be revived and died at the scene.