A STUNNING piece of Rome’s past has been uncovered after being sealed off more than a century ago.
This network of dimly lit tunnels under the Capitoline Hill could soon become the latest attraction in the history-rich city.
“No one has seen these caves and tunnels for more than a century,” archaeologist Ersilia D’Ambrosio told CNN.
The secret underground city covers some 42,000 square feet under the Ancient Roman Forum – and reaches depths of 985 feet below the surface.
Known as the Grottino del Campidoglio, these tunnels were mostly sealed off nearly a century ago on the orders of dictator Benito Mussolini.
But work is now underway that will see them become another must-visit site for Rome’s tourists.
It is expected to be open for visitors from late 2026 or early 2027, CNN has reported.
Before they were sealed off, the tunnel network had been an integral part of the city since the days of Ancient Rome.
They were further developed in the Middle Ages and were in use as recently as the 1920s.
“The area has never before been opened to the public as it will be,” D’Ambrosio told CNN.
“It was utilised by the population, used as warehouses, shops, taverns, but never as a site to visit as it will be.”
The tunnels bear signs of the one thriving communities they housed, including shops, taverns and restaurants.
Some parts of the network are lined with bricks, which the broadcaster says shows signs of development and use in the 19th century.
Work to make the tunnels ready to receive tourists and visitors is currently underway.
Archaeologists had used laser scanning to map the spaces through out the vast complex.
“The suggested interventions primarily focus on preserving the monument by restoring and securing the structures, while also improving its accessibility and usability, which are currently very restricted,” explained a spokesperson from Insula architecture group, the project’s lead.
“The Campidoglio Grottoes project plans to conservatively restore and enhance the underground passageways and cavities that traverse the hill, moving in several directions across multiple levels.”
This work includes managing the release radon gas, which comes from the area’s volcanic rock.
It will see specialist filters installed at the site to ensure it is safe.
There will also be a museum space on the upper level, as well as disabled access for visitors.
Artefacts that were discovered during past excavations are being brought down to the complex so they can be studied there.
“To an archaeologist everything is interesting,” D’Ambrosia told CNN.
The tunnels are believed to have had a wide range of uses throughout their long and fascinating history.
They are said to have first been used as stone quarries and then as water cisterns – before featuring residential and commercial structures.
In one part of the tunnels, it is even possible to see the foundations of the Temple of Jupiter.
