The expat news magazine Wanted in Rome reports on an archaeological discovery in the shadow of the Vatican – a theater dedicated to the notorious Emperor Nero before 70 CE, but lost for centuries:
The find was made close to St Peter’s Square in the grounds of Palazzo della Rovere, the home of the Equestrian Order of the Holy Sepulchre of Jerusalem, a historic Catholic order of knighthood under the protection of the Holy See.
Hailing it as “exceptionally important”, Rome’s archaeological superintendent Daniela Porro said the discovery testifies “to the presence of the Theatrum Neronis mentioned in ancient sources from Pliny to Suetonius and Tacitus, but so far never found.”
Archaeologists unearthed part of a hemicycle-shaped seating area, marble columns, gold-leaf plaster decorations and rooms believed to have been used to store theatre costumes and stage sets.
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The excavations, which got underway in 2020, are part of the redevelopment of the Renaissance palace as a future Four Seasons Hotel which reportedly plans to open in time for the Vatican’s Jubilee 2025.
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There are pics and video of the site at the link.