Some events are more historic than others. In January 2021, these Roman teenagers did not have particularly heavy demands. They were simply protesting against a further maintenance of distance learning courses, in the middle of the second wave of the Covid-19 epidemic. Their plan was rather daring: blockade their establishment for several days, and camp there at night. It is during this occupation that their manifestation takes an unusual turn: in an impromptu exploration session, they come across a mysterious locked door at the bottom of the establishment’s cellar.
They inform Claudia Marino, their history and Latin teacher, at the end of their protest. She is the one who takes over the investigation with her colleagues. “We found the key, went in, and found an old disused boiler roomshe tells the London Times. All around, the walls dated from ancient Rome.” Continuing their exploration, the teachers find themselves in the heart of an old villa decorated with frescoes.
Claudia Marino then informed the Special Superintendence of Rome, a government agency responsible for preserving the cultural heritage of the Italian capital, of the discovery. Excavations begin in September 2025. On May 28, 2026, archaeologists presented their first study of the site, as reported in Smithsonian Magazine. This is not the first time that the place has been explored, a first excavation discovered a piece of this villa in 1895 at the time of the construction of a road, before the place fell into oblivion.
There domusthe name given to a private family house from this period, dates from the middle of the second century AD, the press release specifies. A period where emperors as important as Hadrian or Marcus Aurelius were able to reign. The Roman Empire then reached its peak, with a territory that covered the entire Mediterranean rim and reached England and Iraq.
An upscale district of ancient Rome
Upon discovering the site, archaeologists were first surprised by the incredible state of conservation of the various rooms of the villa, all of which are now underground, as indicated by the Italian daily La Repubblica. One room features a superb mosaic made of large fragments of different shapes – a fashionable style of the time. Another is decorated with floral motifs and human faces.
Researchers found enough artifacts to fill no fewer than forty-eight chests. There is, for example, an amphora used to store wine or olive oil, and cups dating from later periods of Roman history.
💥Roman domus with intact paintings and stucco work discovered in Rome💥
Large Roman domus from the Imperial period (2nd century AD), with figurative paintings and stucco work unearthed between the Carinae and the Esquiline Hill,https://t.co/Z4OwszoIKQ pic.twitter.com/TuShDI7wOG— Sarah (@Sarah404BC) June 4, 2026
Just the location where the villa was found indicates that it had wealthy owners. We are between the Carinae district and the Esquiline Hill. Cicero, Pompey and Augustus, three central figures of the end of the Roman Republic, lived there for example. Although written sources mention this neighborhood, archaeologists have always had difficulty finding physical evidence of it. The fault of modern constructions which had few scruples for their ancestors.
The high school students of 2021 were not the first explorers to rediscover these remains. Graffiti found on the walls of the villa appears to date back to the middle of the last century. At that time, the building had a religious vocation. Other brands are more recent, perhaps from high school students of our millennium. Professor Claudia Marino indicates that an urban legend from high school folklore mentioned these ruins. “Ten years ago, a student told me this storyshe remembers, but I hadn’t thought about it.”
The excavation which has just delivered its verdict only explored part of the villa. Experts believe the rest of the structure is even larger, but further research will require additional funding. The ultimate goal would be to open the doors of the site to students and tourists.
