Metro passengers in Rome will see stone barracks and ancient tiled floors as they zip down escalators on their way around the city.
Two ‘archaeo-stations’ which opened this week on the partially completed (and driverless) Metro C line offer the unique chance to see ancient artefacts discovered near the Italian capital’s most recognisable landmarks — all while changing trains.
One of the new stations is designed to serve the Colosseum, the magnificent Roman-era amphitheatre built to host public spectacles and gladiatorial contests.
Visitors to the station will be taken on a journey back in time from entrance to platform, passing preserved structures including the remains of a thermal bath dating to the beginning of Rome’s imperial period.
Colosseo-Fori Imperiali station also contains the remnants of 28 wells used to irrigate the city long before the first aqueduct was constructed and a Republican-era townhouse.
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Meanwhile, passengers using Porta Metronia will be treated to the remains of a barracks under Piazza Ipponio.
The vast structure, which includes a commander’s home, was discovered at depths of up to 12 metres and with original features such as a tiled floor still remarkably intact.
While the station museum is set to open fully next year, passengers can still catch a train there in the meantime.
When complete, the fully automated and driverless Line C will extend further into the city to Venezia, where a sprawling station is under construction on eight subterranean levels.
Rome’s mayor Roberto Gualtieri hailed the display of the city’s heritage alongside the opening of vital new transport infrastructure.
He said: ‘Today we are connecting a huge part of Rome, from its furthest suburbs to the city center, and at the same time, we are gifting the world and the Romans with wonderful cultural sites.
‘These stations represent the pride of the know-how and design expertise of Italians, who have once again demonstrated their outstanding quality in building infrastructure and in meeting the challenge of reconciling complex engineering projects with the extraordinary historical stratification of our city.’
The latest developments come after various delays and disruption for locals and visitors alike, as the city played host to the Catholic jubilee year.
The new line has been a project of unprecedented complexity due to the city’s extensive underground archaeology.
Webuild, the Italian construction group behind the ambitious programme said the project presented a ‘unique engineering challenge’ in constructing the future while preserving the past.
It said: ‘Building a subway station in this area, digging deep while keeping the surrounding treasures intact and maintaining the role of central link to the Piazza, is a unique engineering challenge.
‘At the same time it is an opportunity to reach depths never before explored and enhance the archaeological heritage.’
Tour guide Carlo Andrea said it had been an ‘interminable wait’ for the new line to take shape but plans to take visitors around the archaeo-stations.
He told the Guardian: ‘There has been a bit of resignation too as there’s this sense among Romans that the city will never have the same infrastructure as other European capitals.’z
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