Padua has an invisible underground heritage that tells so much about its more distant past. A visit to the archaeological area is a valuable opportunity to discover how the city of Padua has changed from Roman times to the present day.
We will first enter the basement of Palazzo della Ragione and then visit the buried bridge of San Lorenzo located in Rivera Ponti Romani.
Archaeological excavations carried out in 1991-1992, by the Soprintendenza dei Beni Archeologici del Veneto, uncovered the remains of medieval constructions such as towers, fortified houses, a public palace, a well and a very impressive environment, the probable ancient prison. At a deeper elevation, remains of the mosaic floor and perimeter walls of a Roman domus from the late 1st century AD early 2nd century AD are visible.
In Roman times Patavium was developed along an ancient navigable river, the Medoacus, and along its banks a port was active with warehouses, docking docks, many were the bridges crossing it. After the final silting up of the river course in the early 1960s, the memory of 2 of its bridges is brought back by toponymy: Riviera dei Ponti Romani, but not everyone knows that these bridges are there, continue to exist buried, under the present road: Ponte Altinate and Ponte San Lorenzo. The best-preserved Roman bridge is actually the San Lorenzo bridge with access from Antenore Square.
Duration of the tour: 1 hour and a half
Excursion in collaboration with the Arcadia Association
