During the construction works of the “Oasis of Ponte Milvio” Park in the XV municipality, interesting archaeological discoveries were made, which brought to light part of the ancient tuff banks of the Tiber, dating back to the 1st century BC, a section of the Ancient Via Flaminia with the typical imperial paving and a stretch of cobblestones from 1900.
Even during the preventive archaeological investigations, an area of particular importance had already been identified, characterized by the presence of a Roman stone and a wall made of tuff blocks, partially emerging among the thick vegetation. Furthermore, beneath recent alluvial sediments, the complex of structures located close to the right bank of the Tiber had been brought to light, relating to an ancient arrangement of the embankment probably dating back to the 1st century BC, which we mentioned above. In the 1960s these archaeological remains were still visible, but subsequently memory and trace of them were lost, since they had been completely submerged by silt and earth.
The ongoing intervention offers the opportunity to recover the oldest phases of use of the site, evidenced by fragments of opus reticulatum structures and two slabs identified under the foundation of the northern wall. The project managed by the Environmental Protection Department aims to valorise these latest findings which will remain discovered and included in the ongoing works. Technicians from the Capitoline Superintendency and the State Superintendence participated in the excavations together with the staff of Roma Capitale.
The Ponte Milvio Oasis is one of the five riverside parks in Rome for which the funds foreseen by the program of interventions in preparation for the 2025 Jubilee have been allocated. The construction site, which started at the end of March, involves reclamation and reforestation of the site, as well as the creation of a pedestrian path and a lookout overlooking the river with wooden flooring. According to the project, one of the rest areas, the pre-existing basin, will be transformed into an aquatic garden with river species characteristic of the Tiber, while in the others the archaeological finds will be valorised such as the terminal stone of the Tiber and the fragment of the retaining wall of the ancient Via Flaminia.
Photo credits: Roman marble stone - official website of the Municipality of Rome
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