Vicus Caprarius - The Water City — Attraction in Rome

Meh. Not a must see.

As requested by the operator I am going to provide a brief reasoning as to why my previous statement is spot on. In a city filled with archeological sites, culture and spectacular architecture this location seems somewhat overrated. To me it seems as if the owners of the building saw a business opportunity when they found the remains of a random house that was in the proximity to the Trevi fountain. The fact that the entrance to the “archaeological site” is the back entrance of a hotel and also houses a cinema makes it clear that this is a commercial and not a cultural operation. Let’s face it, what you are visiting is a wet cellar with some artefacts that seem unrelated to the site and might as well be from anywhere, there is no connection to the actual water flow of the adjacent Trevi Fountain and the way the tour is structured forces visitors to squeeze into a narrow catwalk where all of them are listening to the same uninspiring audio guide, that says a lot and tells very little, in a sequential order so everyone is lumped up in a spot. I don’t think I can give you constructive criticism as this is neither my job nor will it improve the site. So in conclusion best of luck with this endeavour but my opinion stands that this is not a must see site and it left me...

Vicus Caprarius, known as the "City of Water," is an archaeological site beneath Rome's Trevi district, just steps from the Trevi Fountain. Discovered about 25yr ago during renovations of the former Cinema Trevi, the site's origins trace back to the aftermath of the Great Fire of 64 AD, when an insula—a Roman apartment complex—was constructed. In the 4th century, this structure was upgraded into a luxurious domus, adorned with marble and mosaics, reflecting the wealth of its upper-class inhabitants . A significant feature is the castellum aquae, a water reservoir built in the 2nd century AD to store and distribute water from the Aqua Virgo aqueduct, commissioned by Marcus Agrippa in 19 BC, and that still supplies water to the Trevi Fountain today.

Thers is a small museum housing artifacts found during excavations, such as African amphorae, terracotta figurines, and over 800 bronze coins. Among the notable finds is a marble head believed to represent Alexander Helios, son of Cleopatra and Mark Antony.

It's worth popping in, will take about 25mins and get an audio guide if you can. Even though numbers are restricted it is quite cramped on the walkways so try to go early for the best experience. Friendly and...

This site is great! It’s a short visit, you only need 20-30mins, but it’s fantastic. You can see medieval and Roman archaeological remains under this busy part of Rome, less than 50m away from the Trevi fountain. There are only a few people let in at a time, so it’s not crowded and you get space to move around and enjoy reading about different parts of the site. I recommend booking. We managed to book on the day on a Saturday, the staff were really pleasant.

There’s a stair lift down to a viewing area where you can watch a video about the site, and view the remains from the platform.

To enter the next part of the site you do need to be able to walk down the stairs.

The interpretation panels are very informative. Through a window in the ceiling you can see up to the restaurant/cafe above, so I thought this was a really good example of how you can preserve remains in situ below the city, and make them accessible to the public.

There are also finds displayed towards the back of the site that tell you more about the site and how...