The City of Water

This tour offers the extraordinary opportunity to discover underneath the Trevi Fountain. Located there is part of an ancient Roman city block which belonged to Region VII (as defined by Augustus), a neighbourhood of ancient Rome which included: the ‘Field of Mars’, the Vicus Caprarius, the current via di San Vincenzo and via dei Lucchesi and the ancient Via Lata (equivalent today to the Via del Corso).

The archaeological area, consisting of 350 square metres, testifies to the fascinating construction stratification of the area between the first and fourth centuries AD, and up to the reuse of some rooms in the Middle Ages. It will be fascinating to reconstruct the history of the area through the archaeological remains which are visible to us today, discovered by pure chance in 1999 during the renovation of the Trevi cinema. The investigative excavation was started immediately by the Archaeological Superintendence of Rome and continued until 2001. The excavation brought to light findings which indicated a residential building (insula) that around the 4th century was transformed, in part, into domus signorile (ancient Roman house). We will be able to investigate aspects of the daily life of citizens but also understand how the vicinity of the Virgine aqueduct has influenced the development of the city block. Among the remains of insulae, domus and shops we will stop in the grandiose castellum aquae, an imposing cistern for the distribution of the water arriving along this acqueduct, admiring its structural and engineering aspects.

After having appreciated the interesting findings recovered during the excavations, we will end our tour admiring the majestic Trevi Fountain, one of the most beautiful fountains in the world, with a greater awareness of the city hidden just below.