For years, students at a high school in Rome shared stories about a hidden Roman villa beneath the gymnasium. What sounded like a school legend turned out to be real when a group of teenagers and a teacher uncovered a remarkably well-preserved Roman villa buried beneath the building.
Archaeologists have since confirmed the discovery of a second-century residence complete with frescoes, mosaics, and original stucco decoration. The site, now known as the Domus Liceo Cavour, is being excavated just a short distance from the Colosseum.
At the Liceo Scientifico Cavour in central Rome, rumors about a secret underground space had been circulating among students for generations. The stories described ancient rooms hidden beneath the school, though few teachers gave them much thought. That changed after a multi-day student protest gave teenagers the chance to explore parts of the campus that were usually off limits.
A Forgotten Roman Villa Behind a Locked Door
The high school’s translated statement explained that the search led history and Latin teacher Claudia Marino and a group of students to a locked iron door. After finding the key, they entered an old boiler room filled with unused equipment. What they found beyond it was unexpected.
“For now, the house has been named the Domus Liceo Cavour pending further excavations, which are expected to help determine with greater certainty when it was built and who its owners were,” said the researchers.
School officials later explained that ancient Roman walls appeared behind the clutter. The group squeezed through a narrow opening and entered what turned out to be a hidden Roman villa that had remained concealed for decades.
Inside were vaulted ceilings covered in original stucco, walls decorated with floral and figurative frescoes, and mosaic floors. The villa had been sealed away in darkness and survived in a striking state of preservation. The discovery quickly drew the attention of archaeologists from the Special Superintendency of Rome, who began investigating the site.
Excavations Reveal a Wealthy Roman Home
Archaeological work started in January 2026, with the first results presented publicly on May 28. Researchers confirmed that the structure is a Roman domus dating to the mid-Imperial period and likely built during the second century C.E. The residence has been officially named the Domus Liceo Cavour.
The archaeological team believes the house may have belonged to a member of the Umbrius family and could be linked to the region of Samnium in south-central Italy.
Excavators have already removed 48 crates of artifacts from the site. Among the finds is a mosaic made from large, irregularly shaped tiles, a style popular during the second century C.E. Wall paintings and stucco decorations have also survived all the way up to the ceiling vaults.
Information released by the Italian Ministry of Culture noted that inscriptions found on lead pipes mention the names L. Fabius Gallus and Umbria Albina. Researchers are still studying whether those individuals were connected to the property.
“Given the spectacular state of preservation of all the paintings within these rooms, it is essential that they be fully excavated to reveal the entire decorative scheme and allow for its detailed documentation,” the ministry said in a statement.
A Secret That May Never Have Been Completely Lost
The villa was hidden, but not entirely forgotten. Theschool building was constructed between 1865 and 1885 as the headquarters of a Catholic missionary congregation. Historical records show that workers uncovered part of the ancient structure during construction and reported it to local authorities. After that, official references to the villa appear to stop.
There are signs, though, that people continued to find their way inside. Graffiti on the walls includes dates from the 1940s and 1950s, long before the building became a school in 1962. More recent spray paint suggests that some students may have known about the underground rooms for years.
As reported by the excavation team, only part of the villa has been explored so far, and archaeologists believe it may extend beneath the school courtyard, where additional remains could still be hidden.
