An average-looking 1950 condominium at the foot of Rome's Aventine Hill, in the pulsing heart of Italy's capital, hides a treasure that has been buried under the ground where the building now stands for over 2,000 years: the remains of the marvelous home of a wealthy ancient Roman family.
The archeological site, renamed 'Domus Aventino', has been discovered in the same space that was supposed to be converted into a system of eight garages on behalf of owner, French bank BNP Paribas. In 2014 excavations revealed the structure of an ancient home dating from between the first century BC to the second century AD, and beautiful, sinewy mosaics.
A view of the apartment building under which the remains of a magnificent Roman villa, or 'domus', buried for almost 2,000 years at the foot of Rome's Aventine Hill In Rome./Alberto Pizzoli/AFP
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For four years, experts worked to completely excavate the site, which officially opened to the public on Friday, with plans to be accessible for a guided tour on the first and third Friday each month.
Residents of the building are "proud" of this ancient treasure found under their feet and - unsurprisingly - they get preferential access to the site.
Video producer: Katherine Berjikian. Video editor: Sam Cordell.
Cover image: Alberto Pizzoli/AFP