At Liceo Scientifico Cavour, a high school close to the Roman Colosseum, students long passed around stories about hidden spaces beneath the gym floor. Those tales took on new meaning after some teenagers slipped underground and found shadowy corridors that archaeologists later determined were part of an ancient Roman residence. A school rumor has now turned into a significant archaeological discovery.
What happened?
According to a report from Live Science, after students explored the area below the gym, a history and Latin teacher, Claudia Marino, brought the find to the attention of Rome's Special Superintendency. Archaeologists started digging under the gym in January 2026 and later identified the underground corridors and chambers as part of a wealthy villa dating to the mid-second century. The site is now known as the Domus Liceo Cavour.
