The Basilica of Vitruvius, an architect active in the second half of the first century BC, mentioned in his treatise De Architectura, may have finally been found. Following construction work, the remains of an important building with a public function from the Roman era have emerged in Fano (Pesaro-Urbino), in the area where - according to some - the famous basilica would be located.
The officials of the Superintendence of Archaeology, Fine Arts and Landscape of Ancona-Pesaro Urbino and the Carabinieri Unit for the Protection of Cultural Heritage carried out surveys with a drone on the remains of an important Roman public building, rich in precious marbles.
The observations, says the Superintendency, have allowed to define more precisely the areas of intervention and provide a complete overview of the part of the site that came to light. The location, the type of structure, the richness of the flooring and the presence, even on the walls of the rooms, of marble roofs, allows us to believe that it may be an important Roman public building of the Augustan era (I century BC - I century AD).
"It is not excluded that it may even be the Basilica of Vitruvius," commented Ilaria Venanzoni. "All that remains is to wait for the results of a more in-depth excavation and analysis of the complex".