*Antica strada romana (di Iuliia Miasnikova da Arte di Gulia)
Explore Italy’s hidden Roman treasures beyond the well-known sites, uncovering forgotten forums and ancient theatres with our comprehensive guide, offering a unique journey through the country’s millennial past
The ruins of a villa or of ‘thermae’, the ‘cavea’ of an amphitheatre or the ‘basoli’ of a consular road, a bridge or an aqueduct: wherever you go in Italy, North or South, big cities or villages, you are likely to run across the vestiges of Ancient Rome, a civilization that lasted 12 centuries and that dominated the Italian peninsula and its islands even before conquering the whole Mediterranean with an Empire that stretched from Britain’s Atlantic Coast to Mesopotamia in the East.
Outside Rome, Pompei and a few famous archeological site, though, most visitors overlook the beauties of this heritage.
* Mosaico da una domus a Nora (Cagliari)- foto Denise Lilliu
This is not surprising
Hundreds of cities in Italy, from Augusta Praetoria (Aosta) in the North to Lilybaeum (Marsala) in Sicily, were founded by the Romans or even earlier, and yet it is complicated to ‘read’ what is left of their presence, to recognize the path of the Decumanus Maximus (the East-West main axis) and the Cardo (North-South), to locate the Forum ruins under the main square or a theatre incorporated in a Medieval building. There are dozens of fantastic Archeological museums that are not publicized and are often missed by foreign (and Italian!) tourists, whether they choose Italy just for a weekend or as a personal Grand Tour.
It’s a pity!
*Roman Amphitheatre of Luni (by Direzione regionale Musei della Liguria)
Not all the Roman vestiges area as visible as the Colosseum or the Arena in Verona, especially outside the traditional Roman itineraries. They often require curiosity and resourcefulness to be spotted. Our aim is to offer a comprehensive guide that will allow a tourist to time travel to one of the most fascinating periods in world history, to discover places, ruins, corners that reflect a glorious and unrepeatable past. A different prospective to your visit in Italy that will gift you with a lasting memory of the essence of the ‘Bel Paese’, beyond the majestic landscapes and the art treasures.
Italy as the Romans did 