The Sette Bassi Villa in Rome: from the study to a pilot project for the understanding and the accessibility
of archaeological sites
The Sette Bassi Villa, consul Settimio Basso’s suburban residence, is in Rome in via Tuscolana in a
context where you can clearly recognize the landscape features of the “Campagna Romana”. This area is
characterized by a mix of “Ruins and Nature” with many areas waiting to be excavated to provide a better
understanding of the Villa the original concept. While waiting for further diggings, archaeological areas, such as the Sette Bassi, are closed to the public
and often for lack of funding or safety needs, what has been excavated returns to being covered. This work
could be “a pilot project” useful for the Villa but repeatable in other sites. The idea is to create a temporary
modular path which could be adapted to the excavations and at the same time allowing people to visit the
site. It gives a self-financing instrument for the research activities and allows people to know more about
the work of archaeologists.
What I learned during this research by prof. Giovanni Carbonara and prof. Lia Barelli was to “venture”
also in the restoration. A risk based on the full control of the data and the ability to look beyond pre-established intervention, having, as its goal, the protection and enhancement of the cultural heritage.