Scavi archeologici di Palazzo Martinengo Cesaresco Novarino, Archaeological excavation site in Piazza del Foro, Brescia, Italy.
The Scavi archeologici di Palazzo Martinengo Cesaresco Novarino lies beneath Piazza del Foro and reveals overlapping layers of ancient structures and later construction. The excavated area spans five underground rooms where Roman residential buildings and medieval foundations can be seen together.
Excavations began in 1989 during restoration work for the province of Brescia and lasted about eight years, opening to visitors in 1998 as the route "Le città nella città". The dig revealed a stratigraphy from the Middle Ages back to prehistory, with the main evidence from Roman Brixia, whose forum, Capitolium and civil basilica stood here.
The visit route is titled "Le città nella città" (Cities within the city), chosen to express that three thousand years of Brescia's urban history are gathered in one place. The five rooms are divided by theme: rooms 1 and 2 cover the ancient decumanus maximus, today's via dei Musei, while rooms 3 to 5 concern the forum area.
The visit runs through five rooms in the palace cellars, entered from the building itself; rooms 1 and 2 face the line of the ancient decumanus maximus, today via dei Musei, while rooms 3 to 5 cover the forum area. The route opened in 1998 as "Le città nella città" after eight years of excavation.
The visit route is called "Le città nella città" (Cities within the city), a name chosen to convey that three thousand years of Brescia's urban history are concentrated in one place. It runs through five rooms: rooms 1 and 2 follow the line of the ancient decumanus maximus, today via dei Musei, while rooms 3, 4 and 5 cover the area of the forum.
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