Roman Cryptoporticus (Vicenza)

Description

The cryptoporticus belonged to a Roman domus, not preserved (but certainly rich, given the size of the cryptoporticus), located in the southwestern area of the Roman city. It consists of three corridors arranged in a U-shape. The base floor is located at a depth of 6.31 m compared to the current floor of the square. The central branch, the one facing west and the longest, measures 29.5 m in length and 3.28 m in width, while the adjacent rooms both measure 27.35 m in length and 2.98 m in width. The branches have a single nave and are covered with a barrel vault made of opus caementicium. The cryptoporticus is about 2.75 m high and the thickness of the vault and walls is of about 1 m.

The cryptoporticus received light from 31 small windows open to the street, located in the upper part of the inner sides, most likely corresponding with the garden of the peristyle above. It could be accessed via a narrow staircase, partly corresponding to the one still in use, which led into the northern branch. The last four stone steps are original; as for the others, the brick structure has been reconstructed using the slope indicated by the background of the fresco located on the wall to the left side of who descends. …

Discovery

The cryptoporticus was discovered at the beginning of summer of 1954 during the construction of the rectory of the cathedral of Vicenza along the southern side of Piazza Duomo.

To build the cellars of the rectory, the works involved an excavation to a depth of up to 3.20 m. However, once the workers reached 3 meters, they came across a compact structure much harder than the surrounding earth and gravel, probably a floor fragment. When delimiting the structure, it was noticed that below it appeared to be empty. With the help of a flashlight what looked like a gutter appeared, shallow and not very long. The cleaning and consolidation work that were immediately scheduled, instead, revealed that it was a much more complex structure.

The experts of the Archaeological Superintendence, who were prmptly consulted, hypotesized that it could be a cryptoporticus from the Roman era. The cleaning, restoration, lighting and safety works that lasted for three years were therefore commissioned. In 1957, after laying the tiled floor, the cryptoporticus was finally opened to the public.

Findings

The findings of the 1954 excavation are preserved in the Natural Archaeological Museum of Santa Corona. In particular were found terracotta antefixes, jars, lamps, an elliptical brick with a T. Delli Sereni stamp, a bronze wall lamp depicting a marine deity, and marble elements including those of a table. In the garden of the nearby bishop's palace, an Ionic capital was found, probably related to the peristyle above the cryptoporticus.