Digging in the past: Archaeology as a resource for Rome underground transit

Rome has the largest and stratified archaeological heritage of the world and at the same time one of the smaller metro systems. In the Roman underground, in the very same basement of buidings, lies a monumental hidden layer as little-known and little-Accessible as very significant and of enormous artistic interest; the difficulty of managing these assets, difficult accessibility, are regulatory and financial constraints make the most of this heritage invisible. The construction of new metro lines (two new lines planned C and D, plus various extensions and adjustments, as the Termini station junction), but also of new urban areas crossing or parking, could be a unique opportunity in the world to make a system of some of the most significant spaces with everyday life mass movements. Some projects of integration of mobility with the underground spaces of archeology have been attempted, but crashing against bureaucratic difficulties and economic, which they see the archaeology as a cost-increasing obstacle. However, not only the Central Area of Archaeological Forum (the largest in the world with 145 ha), but many places of Imperial, Late Antique and Medieval Rome, could form an underground network in which to develop a contemporary and active display of the archaeological heritage and return it in the dynamics of community life. In the case studies presented tunnels run far below the archaeological layer, but the stations offer a repertoire of opportunities that allow you to reverse the point of view of the city: from museum-stations to those that insinuate themselves as acupuncture in the many dungeons available in many buildings in the capital, involving them in a new life. Copyright © 2013 by The Society for Rock Mechanics & Engineering Geology.