These Italian Teenagers Stayed Overnight at Their School. They Found Ancient Roman Ruins Hidden in the Basement

Smithsonian Magazine ^ | June 8, 2026 | Meilan Solly | Senior Associate Digital Editor, History

[SunkenCiv]

In January 2021, students at a high school across the street from the Colosseum came up with a bold plan. Angered by plans to extend remote learning to prevent the spread of Covid-19, the teenagers occupied their school, spending several nights camped out in the building in protest.

When the demonstration ended, participants told Claudia Marino, a history and Latin teacher at the school, that they'd stumbled upon something significant. Marino and her colleagues investigated the tip, following the students' directions to a locked door in the basement.

"We found the key, entered, and we were in an old, disused boiler room," Marino tells the London Times' Tom Kington. "Beyond that were ancient Roman walls." When they climbed through an opening, they found themselves in an ancient villa adorned with frescoes and decorative stucco.

Marino brought the discovery to the attention of the Special Superintendency of Rome, a government agency tasked with preserving the Italian capital's cultural heritage. Excavations at the site began in September 2025, and archaeologists presented their findings to the public on May 28...

When archaeologists surveyed the site, they were surprised to find that the villa's rooms, almost all of which are underground, were incredibly well preserved, Valentina Lupia reports for the Italian newspaper La Repubblica. One room features a mosaic crafted with large tiles of varying shapes, a style that was popular at the time. Another space is decorated with floral designs and depictions of human figures.

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TOPICS: History; Science; Travel
KEYWORDS: godsgravesglyphs; italy; romanempire

[woodbutcher1963]

We flew in and out of Rome just because that was the only direct flight from Boston. Keep in mind you can take the train from Rome to Naples in an hour. There is a station right near Pompeii. That is where we went to. Then a driver picked us up and drove us out to Sorrento.

We met several Brits who had flown into Naples though. That is because Ryan Air had cheap flights from one of the London airports.

There is also a Delta flight out of JFK now to Catania, Sicily. A couple of my friends from Utica recently took that back and forth. Then rented a car and drove around Sicily.

My wife and I are booked out of Boston on Jet Blue direct flight to Milan in August. We are going to the Cinque Terra and the Italian Rivera. Jet Blue just started that route in April. I booked it last October when it first was announced and the flights were still cheap.

[1Old Pro]

Cinque Terra and the Italian Rivera

Heard good things about those - Both my Grandfather and Grandmother were born in Sicily, so it's kind of a heritage trip. We flew United direct Newark to Rome and then Naples to Newark. The trip made us both want to go back.

[Vaduz]

Good deal for the participants they found and made history.

[Jolla]

Took a girlfriend (she is French) on a road trip to NorCal, saw a barn with the date 1853 on it, I pointed it out to her, she said - my middle school was built in 1680 - it was the queen mothers weekend getaway just outside of Paris.

[SunkenCiv]

I thought there was a topic about that site, but found bupkis. Looks like I’ve got some sitting on my butt and watching the stream to do. 😁 IOW, do difference from other days.

https://search.brave.com/videos?q=Basilica%20San%20Clemente

[Vermont Lt]

The great pyramid was likewise stripped of its limestone top layer.

I imagine in a couple hundred years the Y will be stripping the vinyl siding from my house to cover the huts.

[Vermont Lt]

My daughter spent two summers teaching college kids in Italy.

She was ‘so over’ the whole historical stuff by the time she got home. LOL.

[1Old Pro]

She was ‘so over’ the whole historical stuff by the time she got home

Well, you have to admit, compared to what we are used to there's a lot of history like circa 600 BC

[woodbutcher1963]

I would think Sicily would be nice in late September or early October. Still warm but not hot.
Or in April/May before it gets too warm.

My wife and I watch a couple of podcasts from Sicily. One is on the NE side. The other is down in Noto, by Syracusa.
There seems to be a big difference in how hot it gets there in the summer. The folks up north go up to a village in the mountains in the summer.

[1Old Pro]

I would think Sicily would be nice in late September or early October. Still warm but not hot.

Agree. We went this year in early to mid May - warmish days to cool at night - perfect for sightseeing but not swimming.

[Vermont Lt]

She taught art stuff. They went all over to the historical “artsy” places Rome, Florence, Venice…. (Can you tell i didn’t pay much attention to her adventures? LOL). The first year was full of pictures in a shared album. By the end of the second year she was sick of no air conditioning. She cou;lent get home fast enough.