Rome archaeologists have unveiled the remains of a magnificent Roman villa, or domus, buried for almost 2,000 years under an apartment block at the foot of the Aventine Hill. The spectacular discovery was made in 2014 during works to earthquake-proof the foundations of the 1950s-era building in Piazza Albania, not far from the Circus Maximus.

Archaeologists found a series of large rooms decorated with sumptuous mosaics and traces of frescoes as well as objects from everyday Roman life such as fragments of bowls and amphorae, a hammer, a nail, kitchen ladles, sewing needles and oil lamps. They also found the remains of a stone tower dating from the sixth century BC, reports Italian news agency ANSA.