Vitruvian Man to be displayed in Fano as Vitruvius's basilica emerges

Italian Culture Minister Alessandro Giuli visited the excavation site in Fano's Piazza Andrea Costa, where the long-lost Basilica of Vitruvius is being unearthed. The basilica, designed by Roman architect Marcus Vitruvius Pollio in the 1st century BCE and completed in 19 BCE, is the only building he mentions in his treatise De Architectura. Its exact location had been a mystery for centuries until January 2026. The current excavation, led by the Soprintendenza of Ancona-Pesaro-Urbino with drones and laser scanning, has revealed walls up to two meters thick, imported marble floors, and stone slabs. The dig resumed on April 15. Giuli announced that Leonardo da Vinci's Vitruvian Man will be displayed in Fano for several days this summer, loaned by the Gallerie dell'Accademia di Venezia. The excavation is funded by PNRR – Next Generation EU, part of over €124 million in PNRR investments for the Marche region. Nearly €15 million has been allocated for museum heritage between 2022 and 2025. The discovery confirms Fano as the ancient Fanum Fortunae, Vitruvius's birthplace.