Porticus Minucia fragments unearthed beneath Rome hotel renovation

During the renovation of Palazzo Lares Permarini in Rome, between Largo Argentina and Piazza Venezia, workers uncovered portions of the ancient Porticus Minucia, a Republican-era quadriporticus built by Minucius Rufus for grain distributions. The excavation, directed by archaeologist Marta Baumgartner of the Soprintendenza Speciale di Roma, took place from May to July 2020. For the first time, walls of the Porticus were found standing with marble decorations intact, and the exact eastern boundary was established, previously known only from notes by Guglielmo Gatti during the palace's 1938 construction. The structure consists of two rows of large imperial-era peperino blocks with notable elevated decorations. Two construction phases of pavement layers under the portico were identified, both made of travertine chips. The discovery occurred during a redevelopment project by Gruppo Banca Finit to convert the building into a five-star Radisson Hotel, opening March 28. The Soprintendente Speciale Daniela Porro emphasized the scientific importance and effective public-private collaboration, as Finint Investments funded both the excavation and an innovative in-situ valorization, including a multimedia video with 3D reconstruction of the Porticus, to be displayed in the hotel's basement. The hotel will be named Radisson Roma Antica.