The legendary Nero’s Theatre was discovered last week beneath the gardens of a new hotel being built in Rome as part of a Palazzo della Rovere renovation project.
The ancient theatre was found in the gardens of the new Four Seasons hotel along the Via della Conciliazione leading to St Peter’s Square. The property is being leased by the Vatican to accommodate hotels that raise money for Christians in the Holy Land under decree of an ancient chivalric order. According to CNN, the Four Seasons hotel construction has been partially paused, but the hotel is expected to be open before the Vatican’s 2025 Jubilee, when a projected 30 million people will visit.
Academics had read about the theatre in historical texts by Pliny the Elder, but have been unable to locate the site until now.
Archaeologists found marble columns and gold leaf-decorated plaster, which helped them to identify the ruins as Nero’s Theatre, reports Forbes.
According to ABC News, the site yielded several antiquities and remains, including the Horti di Agrippina – a horse-racing circus built by Roman Emperor Caligula, medieval glass goblets, cooking pots, coins and parts of musical instruments, and hair combs carved from bone.
Marzia Di Mento, the archaeologist leading the dig, said it would take years to properly unearth and analyse the excavation.
Underground Colosseum tour
The Colosseum’s underground hypogeum network has been partially open to visitors since 2010. Now, after extensive restoration, partially funded by the Italian fashion house Tod’s and by the Hornblower Group’s subsidiary, Walking Tours, the Cryptoporticus (covered corridor) offers immersive multimedia experiences that bring the gladiators back to life.
The network is scattered with ancient Roman artefacts from the collections of the Parco archeologico del Colosseo, the National Archaeological Museum in Naples and the National Archaeological Museum in Aquileia, including authentic gladiatorial armour and ancient weaponry used in the ring.
The tours, which debuted on July 20, include curated multimedia projections featuring content about how the gladiators ate, slept and trained at Ludus Magnus (the gladiatorial arena) and braved the theatre to battle animals and other gladiators.
According to The Guardian, while the first phase of restoration focused on cleaning up the Colosseum’s façade, the final phase, expected to be complete next year, will restore the galleries and lighting system, and add a new visitor centre.
