They built a parking lot and found a residence from the time of the Roman Empire

The residence, it will be remembered, is a kind of “archaeological chest” / afp

The remains of a residence from the time of the Roman Empire, in which luxurious mosaics stand out, were found in the basement of a building in the center of the Italian capital where parking was to be installed.

The mosaics dating from the beginning of the present period were discovered during archaeological excavations for the transformation into a residential building of the former headquarters of the National Labor Bank, bought by the French bank BNP Paribas.

“We are inside a sort of” archaeological chest “, an architectural structure which has two functions: to protect the mosaics and to allow the public to have access to them”, explained Roberto Narducci, archaeologist of the Heritage Directorate. culture of Rome.

The excavations started in 2014 and ended in 2018, a long and technologically complex job. In front of the mosaic, with a delicate vine full of small bunches on a white background, the archaeologist explains the exceptional character of the place, which opened its doors to the public for the first time yesterday.

“Here we are inside a private building (…) exactly where the creation of eight garages had been planned”, declared Narducci. The possibility of parking was ruled out and an agreement was concluded with the BNP Paribas bank, which financed the work, to create a multimedia space which, thanks to a play of lights and a soundtrack with birdsong, offers an archaeological visit. .

The co-owners of the building say they are “proud” to live in this historic place.

The walls are decorated with brightly colored paintings reminiscent of those of Pompeian villas, and the missing fragments of the mosaics have been miraculously reconstructed, leaping over two thousand years.

“We have had the opportunity to study several layers of overlapping mosaics over the centuries, six in all. From a scientific point of view, this happens very rarely, ”Narducci pointed out.

In the area, measuring more than 2000 square meters, archaeologists were also able to “unearth various treasures dating from the 8th century BC, in particular the remains of a military construction, possibly a guard tower”, the foundations of which are still visible.

The building’s co-owners are “proud” to live in this location and have agreed with cultural property authorities to open it to the public with a guide limited to the first and third Friday of the month, Narducci said.

“It is true that we are inside a residential building with apartments, but we are also in an archaeological site, the objects of which belong to the state,” said the archaeologist.