Area Archeologica di San Pietro degli Schiavoni, Archaeological site in central Brindisi, Italy.

The archaeological area of San Pietro degli Schiavoni lies beneath the Teatro Verdi at Via Santi 1 in central Brindisi. Excavations brought to light an insula of the Roman city, with walls and structures of a residential block. The theater above was designed by architect Enrico Nespega as a steel building suspended over the remains.

The site was discovered during construction work in the 1960s and contains walls and structures built around 2000 years ago. These remains show how important this location was to the Roman city.

The central quarter is named after a church dedicated to Saint Peter that welcomed Slavic and Albanian immigrants from the second half of the 15th century; locals still call it San Pietru dilli Scauni in Brindisi dialect. The excavations beneath the theatre exposed an insula of the Roman city, not the medieval quarter, whose remains were destroyed by bulldozers in the early 1960s.

Access to the archaeological zone goes through the modern theater building, which was specially designed to protect the excavation below. Visitors should expect that viewing times need to be coordinated with theater activities.

The theater building was deliberately constructed as a modern structure that protects the Roman layers beneath while allowing research to continue. This is an unusual example of how contemporary architecture and ancient remains coexist in the same space.