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One of the world’s most popular tourist destinations is now offering visitors — and commuters — a new way to experience its ancient history.
Rome opened two new subway stations, including one located directly under the Colosseum, earlier in December.
What makes the stations unique is that ancient artifacts — all uncovered during construction of the stops — are displayed throughout the stations.
The two stations, Colosseo-Fori Imperiali and Porta Metronia, feature a variety of historic objects.
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Colosseo’s displays include ceramic vases and plates, stone wells and ancient suspended buckets, along with a cold plunge pool and thermal bath from a first-century dwelling.
Porta Metronia, just a stone’s throw away, features nearly 260-foot-long military barracks dating back to the second century AD.
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Simona Moretta, the scientific director of the excavation, told reporters that the barracks were found between 22 and 39 feet beneath the ground. The soldiers stationed there were likely hired to protect the city or the emperor specifically.
“Surety that it was a military building is given by the fact that the entrances to the rooms are not facing each other, but are offset, so that the soldiers could leave the rooms and get in line without colliding in the corridor,” she said.
The stops are part of the Metro C subway line, a venture that will cost the city around $8.3 billion and is slated to fully open up in 2035.
Officials expect that, once completed, Line C will carry up to 800,000 passengers daily. It’s projected to run 18 miles in total, 12 of which will be underground.
The subway line will eventually run beneath Roman landmarks including Trajan’s Column, the Basilica of Maxentius and the Vatican, in addition to Renaissance palaces.
“The challenge was … building it under such a large amount of groundwater and at the same time preserving all the archaeological finds that we found.”
Though the project has been slowed by bureaucratic delays and funding issues, the excavation has revealed more than 500,000 artifacts.
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Marco Cervone, construction manager for the consortium building the subway line, told The Associated Press that the terrain made the venture difficult.
“The challenge was … building it under such a large amount of groundwater and at the same time preserving all the archaeological finds that we found during the excavation, and all this while preserving everything that is above,” Cervone said.
The station openings come as Italian officials introduce new measures to manage tourism in the Eternal City.
In December, officials announced that tourists visiting the Trevi Fountain will need to pay about $2.35, or €2, to see the fountain up-close, thanks to overcrowding in recent years.
The Associated Press contributed reporting.
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