The dilapidated surroundings and the tagged facade of the old Astra cinema, closed for twenty years in the center of Verona (Italy), gave no indication of the extreme finesse of the ancient remains preserved in the Venetian soil, under the foundations of the building. . Intervened during a preventive excavation organized before the redevelopment of the site, Italian archaeologists from the province of Verona discovered in the basements of the room built in the 1930s, the remains of a luxurious Roman building. from the 2nd century. Fitted with red, black and yellow polychrome frescoes distributed in panels, the colored walls unearthed in Verona immediately reminded local researchers of the vision of the most beautiful ancient villas in Campania. A fair enough first impression,since this set also shared a second point in common with the most famous Roman cities of the region of Vesuvius: an incandescent end.
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Presented to the local press on Thursday, the Roman building, the exact nature of which has not yet been established with certainty, had a hypocaust heating system, floors covered with concrete as well as a few surfaces covered with pavement mosaics. , as evidenced by the discovery of fragments of tesserae. Against all expectations, it would not be a
classic
domus
, however, said the archaeological superintendency of the province of Verona in a statement. One of the proposals put forward by archaeologists suggests that this beautiful building would rather be a suburban villa. With a fairly complex ground plan, this residence was located just outside the ancient city of Verona, a short walk from Porta Borsari which was one of the main routes toaccess to the city.
1/3 - Traces of fire and some remains of charred furniture have been found by Italian archaeologists.
Soprintendenza archeologia belle arti e paesaggio per the province of Verona, Rovigo e Vicenza
2/3 - Only the base of a few walls has been preserved over the centuries.
A part was still covered with colored plaster.
L'Arena screenshot
3/3 - Overview of the site.
L'Arena screenshot
Italian archaeologists have only begun to excavate the site identified in 2005 on the occasion of the recovery and renovation of the old cinema. However, they were far from suspecting the extent of the remains, since it is a large section of the ancient urban periphery of Verona that has been unearthed from the depths. The debris of a
"terrible fire"
which ravaged the building towards the end of the 3rd century was also found: elements of the devastated and collapsed roof litter the surface of the rooms, while a charred piece of furniture particularly moved the researchers. This tragic fire associated with
"magnificent murals"
did not fail to recall the fate of the ancient cities swept away by the eruption of Vesuvius in 79, in the eyes of Veronese archaeologists, who compare the site to
"a miniature Pompeii"
.
The comparison is all the more highlighted as archaeological news has multiplied in recent months in Veneto. The site of a large 3rd century mosaic villa partially excavated in 1922 in Negrar di Valpolicella, on the rural outskirts of Verona, was rediscovered in March. For the city, the discovery of these new ancient buildings is all the more timely as the restoration of the local arenas - a Roman amphitheater from the 1st century - is drawing to a close. Begun in 2019 for a total of 14 million euros, the work should be completed with the inauguration of a new museum between the walls of the monument. A way for the city to further highlight its important ancient heritage, still too often overshadowed by all the folklore built around thestory of Romeo and Juliet, the lovers of Verona.