Metro stop is Ancient Rome's new attraction

> When most cities build metro systems, they simply blast through rock.

I'm not sure that this is true (ignoring the bit about blasting, which hasn't been a standard way to build metro lines for a very long time, of course); there was a lot found when London's Crossrail was built, say.

(While it's not made totally clear, I assume they're mostly finding stuff building stations, not tunnels. The tunnels are ~20m below ground, but the stations have to go all the way to the surface.)

Really, any old city, anytime you build anything you may find something. For instance, here's a supermarket with bonus Viking ruins in Dublin: https://www.atlasobscura.com/places/aungier-street-lidl-arch...

In Sofia we have roman ruins everywhere around metro stations https://archaeology-travel.com/bulgaria/serdika-ii-metro-sta...

In the same vein, Bloomberg office in London UK has an Ancient Rome museum and the access is free: https://www.bloomberg.org/arts/advancing-the-arts-around-wor... (disclosure: I work for Bloomberg).

For reasons, I used to go to Rome quite frequently in the 2010s, and the construction of Metro C was already a meme. But now some of the stations are quite interesting indeed.

Thessaloniki had the same issue, and now there's a stop where you have walkways above the ruins.

Some photos of the "before" here:

https://www.thessalonikiguide.gr/metro-thessalonikis-mia-arx...

In a place like Rome with layers and layers of deep history they should just think of building elevated metro systems.

It's quite interesting to see how much earth is typically above ancient ruins. Cities built upon cities for 1000's of years where a street or building was once at ground level and now is 2-4 stories beneath our modern world.

While visiting Vienna, there are ruins on display in Michaelerplatz (central Old City), so cool.

Okay, I'll say it: is it really worth encumbering the movements of millions of people for decades in order to make a few boring history exhibits? If you want to see some the bone comb that belonged to somebody's great^100-grandmother, there are dozens of museums that already have one on display.

In Sofia we have roman ruins everywhere around metro stations https://archaeology-travel.com/bulgaria/serdika-ii-metro-sta...

For reasons, I used to go to Rome quite frequently in the 2010s, and the construction of Metro C was already a meme. But now some of the stations are quite interesting indeed.

In a place like Rome with layers and layers of deep history they should just think of building elevated metro systems.

While visiting Vienna, there are ruins on display in Michaelerplatz (central Old City), so cool.

> When most cities build metro systems, they simply blast through rock.

(While it's not made totally clear, I assume they're mostly finding stuff building stations, not tunnels. The tunnels are ~20m below ground, but the stations have to go all the way to the surface.)

> (While it's not made totally clear, I assume they're mostly finding stuff building stations, not tunnels. The tunnels are ~20m below ground, but the stations have to go all the way to the surface.)

This is exactly right. Rome's subway is famously dug very deep (30-80 meters) so the tunnels run under the ruins, but each station requires an excavation down to tunnel depth.

Blasting through rock is expensive and only done if needed - I'd suspect that most projects now are cut and cover or tunnel boring machine - both of which can also be terribly expensive (see: Seattle).

In the same vein, Bloomberg office in London UK has an Ancient Rome museum and the access is free: https://www.bloomberg.org/arts/advancing-the-arts-around-wor... (disclosure: I work for Bloomberg).

I’ve visited the Mithraeum. It’s maybe not a must see for a tourist, but great that it’s publicly available for free.

Thessaloniki had the same issue, and now there's a stop where you have walkways above the ruins.

Some photos of the "before" here:

https://www.thessalonikiguide.gr/metro-thessalonikis-mia-arx...

As one of the cities I spend part of my life, the new metro experience is great, and how they integrated the stations into old Greek infrastructure.

I only morn the loss of jobs that could have been part of the metro, if the wagons weren't robots.

The problem isn’t the present tense. The problem is once those artefacts are destroyed then they’re destroyed forever.

They might find some important writing that can shed light on history.

Yes. I travel around the world looking for such things.

Is it really worth? YMMV, but yes if you ask me.

> (While it's not made totally clear, I assume they're mostly finding stuff building stations, not tunnels. The tunnels are ~20m below ground, but the stations have to go all the way to the surface.)

This is exactly right. Rome's subway is famously dug very deep (30-80 meters) so the tunnels run under the ruins, but each station requires an excavation down to tunnel depth.

I’ve visited the Mithraeum. It’s maybe not a must see for a tourist, but great that it’s publicly available for free.

The problem isn’t the present tense. The problem is once those artefacts are destroyed then they’re destroyed forever.

They might find some important writing that can shed light on history.

Yes. I travel around the world looking for such things.

Is it encumbering? It seems like it's not at all.

Is it really worth? YMMV, but yes if you ask me.

Yeah, this one looks to be TBM for most of the underground sections.

As one of the cities I spend part of my life, the new metro experience is great, and how they integrated the stations into old Greek infrastructure.

I only morn the loss of jobs that could have been part of the metro, if the wagons weren't robots.

Is it encumbering? It seems like it's not at all.

Yeah, this one looks to be TBM for most of the underground sections.

That's great to hear, I've only been in it once (I prefer to cycle on the waterfront), but I hear the ticket machines still don't accept cards. Typical Greece, though it's nice that it actually works well for what it is.

I was there now during both Easters, they do actually, the biggest problem is having different cards for metro and bus.

Actually we have the same problem in Lisbon and Porto, the cards you can top up are company specific, only the monthly subscriptions work across companies.

I was there now during both Easters, they do actually, the biggest problem is having different cards for metro and bus.

Actually we have the same problem in Lisbon and Porto, the cards you can top up are company specific, only the monthly subscriptions work across companies.

I meant credit cards, it used to be that you can only pay cash. I agree, though, in London everything just takes credit cards so you have no dedicated ticket cards. Much more convenient.

6 days ago

Eric J Lyman

Alamy Commuters admire the remains of a Roman bath in the Colosseo-Fori Imperiali Metro C archaeo-station in Rome, with the station steps visible in the background( Credit: Alamy) Alamy

Construction on Rome's Metro C has uncovered spectacular Roman ruins, and its new "archaeo-stations" are giving visitors a whole new way to experience the city's ancient past.

On a recent Friday afternoon, I made my way through the usual tourist queues swarming the Colosseum, and entered the recently inaugurated Colosseo-Fori Imperiali Metro C station. As I took the escalator underground, the crowds vanished. Metal gridwork and four cascades of criss-crossing escalators created an Escher-like atmosphere. Even so, I was still coming face to face with the city's storied past.

In one corner, a collection of ancient pottery first excavated a few metres away was displayed behind glass. Further ahead stood the crumbling remains of a Roman bath. But this wasn't a gallery or museum tour I'd had to book in advance; Rome's newest metro stop is also Ancient Rome's newest attraction, and my entry cost just €1.50 (£1.30; $1.75).

A unique problem

When most cities build metro systems, they simply blast through rock. But in Rome, a city famously built on the remains of its past, engineers must tunnel through nearly 3,000 years of history. Each time workers break ground, they risk encountering ancient ruins, requiring painstaking excavations. Civic progress is slow, often rerouted or indefinitely suspended.

This unique problem meant that until 2014, just two main metro lines (Metro A and Metro B) served a metropolis spanning 1285 sq km (496 sq miles). But construction on Metro C has been ongoing for nearly 20 years, and the closer it's inched from the suburb of Monte Compatri-Pantano to Rome's historical centre, the more of Ancient Rome it's unearthed.

During construction for its three newest stops, Ancient Roman drinking wells, a farm, military barracks, a 16-room home and more than half a million smaller artefacts like pottery, coins and jewellery have been discovered – mostly dating from the 7th Century BCE to the 5th Century CE. But delays, ballooning costs and countless traffic detours led to mocking witticisms around town: "Metro C isn't a subway; it's an archaeological dig with trains."

"There are always surprises in archaeology, so you must make adjustments," explained Simona Morretta, an archaeologist overseeing parts of the excavations.

Alamy Below Rome's historical treasures lay even more historical treasures (Credit: Alamy) Alamy

Below Rome's historical treasures lay even more historical treasures (Credit: Alamy)

To showcase the discoveries from the excavated area, a total of seven "archaeo-stations" are planned – part transit hub, part self-guided museum exhibits.

The first archaeo-station, San Giovanni, opened in 2018. The second, Colosseo-Fori Imperiali, opened in December 2025. While it helps locals get around town, Metro C is also giving people a whole new way to experience Ancient Rome in the modern day.

The fragment tells a story

"A project like this could only happen in Rome," said historian Anthony Majanlahti. "Rome is a city built from the remains of its past. It's built on top of and made from its predecessor cities. Anything built in Rome has always had to take into consideration the city beneath it."

It reminds people that Rome isn't just what you see on the surface. There's another Rome underneath

Unlike the artefacts it displays, Metro C's archaeo-stations are sleek and modern (the train itself is driverless). As you ride down the three cascades of escalators of San Giovanni station, illustrated timelines on the walls follow your descent to 27m (88.5ft) below ground level. Visitors pass markers indicating the geological depth from present day to the city's Medieval period, then markers showing the Imperial and Republican periods, all the way down to the Palaeolithic strata, highlighting important moments in Rome's architectural history along the way. You're free to hop off at any of the station's three floors to browse artefacts unearthed during the digs, each showcased on the level corresponding to the geological strata where it was found.

Eva Sandoval At the San Giovanni Metro C archaeo-station, visitors can see Rome's historical strata illustrated on the walls (Credit: Eva Sandoval) Eva Sandoval

At the San Giovanni Metro C archaeo-station, visitors can see Rome's historical strata illustrated on the walls (Credit: Eva Sandoval)

I stopped at the middle floor – surface level during Rome's Imperial period, now buried deep underground. Under what is now the residential San Giovanni neighbourhood, a series of clay and lead pipes are displayed, linked to the water basin and irrigation system that once occupied the site. I paused to examine a case of bronze coins from the 3rd Century CE, then perused a collection of Late Antique marble friezes. Multimedia exhibits are interspersed amid the artefacts; a looping video shows that here once stood a peach farm in the 1st Century CE, and in the station's lowest level – where the trains now run – traces of early human life were discovered. Clay gardening vases and farming tools line a display case. The case reads: Il frammento racconta ("the fragment tells a story").

It's a story some Romans are appreciating for the first time.

"Like any school kid, I studied Ancient Rome," said local shopkeeper Annalisa Molisano. "But it never came to life for me the way it did when I understood how it all fits together."

Eva Sandoval Rome's Metro C archaeo-stations display the numerous Ancient Roman relics that were discovered during their construction (Credit: Eva Sandoval) Eva Sandoval

Rome's Metro C archaeo-stations display the numerous Ancient Roman relics that were discovered during their construction (Credit: Eva Sandoval)

A window into history

It's just two stops from San Giovanni to the Colosseo-Fori Imperiali station.

Plan your trip:

Both Metro A and B lines intersect with Metro C: take Metro A to San Giovanni or Metro B to Colosseo-Fori Imperiali. Colosseo-Fori Imperiali and San Giovanni intersect. Porta Metronia is reachable only via Metro C.

The cost of a metro ticket is €1.50 (£1.30). Visitors may take in all three stations in one trip and stay as long as they like. The atrium of the Colosseo-Fori Imperiali station is free to visit and features multimedia exhibits about the history of the area. The station provides direct access to the Colosseum, Roman Forum and the Belvedere Cederna panoramic terrace.

After descending the escalators to the two middle floors, I come face to face with three ancient drinking wells, which have been reconstructed where they originally stood in the 6th to 3rd Centuries BCE. The objects found within – pottery, carved animal horns – are visible in a plexiglass-covered display that mimics the wells' shape. These reconstructed wells represent three of 28 found here to date; a source of drinking water before the construction of Rome's first aqueducts in 312 BCE.

A handful of onlookers mill around the archaeo-station, where additional artefacts are displayed. There are household objects like knives and oil lamps; the remains of a mosaic floor and fragments of Roman statues, including the marble head of a Medusa found at the Temple of Venus and Rome. But the station's showpiece exhibit is the remains of a thermal bath, featuring a cold plunge pool and laconicum (sweat room). The bath is believed to have been part of a residential structure dating to the Imperial period, excavated in Colosseum Square and now displayed in situ within the archaeo-station, where visitors shuffle slowly around it as if awed by its power. The hydraulic structures are still clearly visible, and a video shows what the structure may have looked like thousands of years ago, before the residence was destroyed in Nero's fire of 64 CE.

Eva Sandoval What if Ancient Roman ruins were part of your daily commute? (Credit: Eva Sandoval) Eva Sandoval

What if Ancient Roman ruins were part of your daily commute? (Credit: Eva Sandoval)

I noticed a group of secondary school students on a field trip. Some giggled at the displays. Others posed for selfies around the bath.

"We talked about this metro stop for two classes before coming here," said their teacher, Annalisa Labriola. "It's one thing to see a photo on a screen or to be told that Rome is a city where history is stacked on top of history. But it's completely different to come here and see it. They've all used the metro, but their eyes lit up when we first arrived here."

Tourists, filtering down from the Colosseum, are impressed as well.

"We knew nothing about this when we planned our trip," said Annabeth Wilson, an office worker from New Jersey. "It's amazing. Our guide mentioned it. We came down here and thought we'd be here five or ten minutes. It's already been 45."

The reaction is exactly what the designers hoped for.

Alamy Metro C's archaeo-stations are ultra-modern in contrast to the ancient objects found during construction (Credit: Alamy) Alamy

Metro C's archaeo-stations are ultra-modern in contrast to the ancient objects found during construction (Credit: Alamy)

"It's almost like travelling back in time," said archaeologist Livia Galante when we strolled together through the stop. "A station like this is built to bring people here, not just to catch their train on the way to work, but to understand the history of the city by understanding the way it was built on top of itself."

Metro C wasn't built in a day

Located between Colosseo-Fori Imperiali and San Giovanni, Metro C's Porta Metronia station also opened in December 2025. But as with many digs in Rome, there was a twist. During the excavations, archaeologists uncovered the remains of a massive 2nd-Century CE Roman military barracks, including a multiple room residence decorated in frescoes and mosaics, thought to have belonged to the commander of the post. The discovery was so monumental that engineers redesigned the station to incorporate the ruins, which were removed and preserved as construction on the station continued.

"With Porta Metronia we entered a new phase," said Morretta. "Now we know that ancient structures can be carefully dismantled, preserved, then reinstalled inside the station once the work is completed."

Eric J Lyman Multimedia exhibits explain the history of the area and the objects found within (Credit: Eric J Lyman) Eric J Lyman

Multimedia exhibits explain the history of the area and the objects found within (Credit: Eric J Lyman)

Though the station currently displays several artefacts recovered onsite, a full archaeo-station is (hopefully) on track to open this June, where the barracks and residence will be visible to the public.

Preserving these treasures is one of Italy's fundamental challenges, as is the cost: Metro C is estimated to cost around €1 billion (£8.69m; $1.16bn) per kilometre through Rome's historical centre.

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For years, locals complained about the expense, but now that the line conveniently reaches the Colosseum, those voices have mostly faded. And for supporters, the project is priceless.

"What I value about these stations is that it makes someone who'd normally be rushing through the city stop and realise they are physically immersed in history," said Galante. "It reminds people that Rome isn't just what you see on the surface. There's another Rome underneath."

Back at street level, the Colosseum dominates the landscape, as it has for two millennia. After years of construction scaffolding and traffic cones, the scene has returned to normal. Cars zoom past, tourists queue and locals now rush to catch their train.

Metro C will eventually reach north-western Rome, including the Vatican. It's never been clearer that the Rome visible above ground is only part of the story. The rest is below, still waiting to be uncovered one layer at a time.

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