SASS — Roman Trento

Underground excavation of the Roman city of Tridentum, beneath Piazza Cesare Battisti

SASS (Spazio Archeologico Sotterraneo del Sas) is a striking underground museum directly beneath the Piazza Cesare Battisti, in the centre of Trento. The site exposes a substantial section of the Roman city of Tridentum — paved streets, the foundations of houses, a stretch of the eastern city wall and gate, and the remains of a bath complex.

The visit is short (about 45 minutes) but does an unusually good job of conveying the layered city — Roman, medieval, modern — directly above one's head. The lighting design and the glass walkways make it more theatrical than most archaeological displays. A small museum room covers the Roman history of the region with finds from the excavation.

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A story
The Roman remains were rediscovered in 1990, during preparations to build an underground car park beneath Piazza Cesare Battisti. Construction was halted, and after more than a decade of excavation and engineering the site was opened to the public in 2008 — preserved in situ under glass walkways with the modern city humming directly overhead.

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