A unique place in the world for its exceptional urban stratification, since January 2023, the headquarters the seat of the National Roman Museum at Crypta Balbi has been closed to the public to allow for an impressive plan of archaeological excavations and architectural restoration to take place: nine interventions, five of which are part of the project “Urbs. Dalla città alla campagna romana - From the city to the Roman countryside” and financed with over €50 million as part of the National Complementary Plan (PNC) to the NRRP.
The “Crypta Balbi: cantiere aperto” (Crypta Balbi: open construction site) initiative was designed to share this moment of transition and transformation of the museum and to describe the activities underway. It is an immersive and participatory experience that allows citizens and tourists, scholars and enthusiasts to discover the history and importance of the site, preview the results of the archaeological excavation and experience the complexity of the architectural site thanks to free guided tours by the staff of the National Roman Museum.
The tour begins inside the so-called Barberini Dormitory of the Santa Caterina de’ Funari complex with a multimedia video curated by the museum in collaboration with important scholars such as Daniele Manacorda and Federico Marazzi. The video highlights the long historical and archaeological history of the Crypta Balbi, from 13 BC, when Lucius Cornelius Balbus began building his small masonry theatre, through the Middle Ages with the female monastery of Santa Maria Domine Rose, up to the urban upheavals of the 20th century and finally to the present day.
On display to the public for the first time, the artefacts recently unearthed during excavations and still under study bear witness to the stratification and continuity of use of the site. These include, for example, a refined Corinthian capital from a pilaster that had been reused as a cover for a late antique sewer system, heads and parts of statues, and a statuette of the god Pan. The tour ends with a view of the central courtyard of the block, which helps understanding the size of the site and the complexity of the construction site.
Guided tours are available every Saturday at 10.30 and 12 a.m. Reservation required.
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