[Mike Fieschko]

A couple of other articles, no photos:

• Vatican next month to unveil necropolis including section discovered in parking lot dig, International Herald-Tribune, Sep 14, 2006,
• Vatican Necropolis Gives Up Secrets After Escaping Construction, Bloomberg news, Oct 9, 2006.

Does anyone know where this necropolis is on this map of Vatican City?

Vatican City Map

Welcome Floorplan Square & Area Documents Images Grottoes Colonnade Saints Floorplan #2 Altars Monuments The History Related Items Overlay Map

1 Bronze Doors  2 Arch of the Bells  3 St Peter's Door  4 Tower of Nicolas V  5 Palace of Sixtus V  6 Palace of Gregory V  7 Medieval Palace  8 Borgia Tower  9 Sistine Chapel 10 Hall of Ligorio 11 Vatican Apostolic Library     (Bldg. of Sixtus V) 12 Courtyard of the Library 13 Braccio Nuove 14 Tower of the Winds 15 Corridor of Bramante 16 Niche of the Pinecone 17 Fountain of the Sailing Ship 18 Stairway of Bramante 19 The Belvedere 20 Pio-Clementino Museum 21 The Four Gates 22 Entrance to the     Vatican Museums 23 Painting Gallery 24 Gregorian Profane Museum,        Pius Christian Museum and    Ethnological Museum 25 Carriage Museum 26 The Passetto 27 Gate of Sant' Anna 28 Church of Sant' Anna dei    Palafrenieri 29 Courtyard of the Swiss Guards 30 Vatican Printing Press 31 Restoration Lab of Tapestries 32 Church of San Pellegrino 33 L'Osservatore Romano 34 Central Post Office 35 Palace of the Belvedere 36 Piazza del Forno 37 Fountain of the Sacrament 38 Casino Pio of Pius IV

	39 Pontifical Academy of Sciences 40 House of the Gardener 41 Fountain of the Eagle 42 Tower of Gallinaro 43 Vatican Radio 44 Border of the Leonine City 45 Grotto of Lourdes 46 Tower of St John 47 Marconi Transmitting Station	48 Ethiopian College 49 Governatorato Building 50 Railway Station 51 Mosaic Studio 52 Church of Santo Stefano degli Abissini 53 Tribunal Palace 54 Palace of the Archpriest 55 Palace of San Carlo	56 Piazza Santa Marta 57 Hospice of Santa Marta 58 Palace of the Rectory and Sacristy 59 Plaza of the Roman Protomartyrs 60 Teutonic College and Cemetery 61 Papal Audience Hall 62 Palace of the Sant' Uffizio 63 Church of San Salvatore in Terrione

[Remole]

From the photo in post #1, my guess is that the dig is at site # 65.

[leilani]

Good question! I tried to figure that out before I read further down the thread.

According to this account in La Stampa via an italian blog site, it's located " all’edificio dell’Annona vaticana e accanto alla fontana della Galea - si estendeva lungo le pendici della collina al lato della Via Triumphalis."

I think Galea is a typo there & it's really the Fontana de Galera, or Fountain of the Sailing Ship (#17 on your map). The reference to the 'edificio dell'Annona' kinda throws me off though. It's not on vatican maps (Annonas are like ancient roman granaries, usually associated with municipal financial administration). I know that the Vatican Printing office bldg (#30 on your map) is sometimes referred to as "Spazzo Annonari". But the ancient Via Triumphalis (a short section of which is still called the Via Trionfale in modern Rome) that La Stampa refers to would probably extend over closer to the fountain.

My mom, who has spent a lot more time than I inside the walls of the Vatican & who has molto bene contacts there, thinks she heard it was way over by the vaticano railway station though. Sorry, I don't think she's right. I vote for this area right below (just SE of) the fountain where all the dusty white stuff is just inside the walls shown here on google maps.

Fontana della Galera

[SunkenCiv]

Thanks!