Sito archeologico di Largo Sant'Anna

The archaeological site at Largo Sant'Anna in Teramo preserves the remains of a Roman house, an early cathedral and a later chapel. A steel-and-glass shelter covers the excavation, where successive layers of the city can be seen below the modern piazza.

Why it matters

The site brings together several periods of Teramo's history. A Roman domus of the late Republic and early Empire lies beneath a late-antique tower, the three-nave cathedral of Santa Maria Aprutiensis and the later chapel of Sant'Anna. The cathedral was destroyed during the Norman siege of 1156–57, after which the bishop's seat moved west to a new church.

What to notice

The Roman house preserves painted plaster in red, black, ochre and white, with plant motifs associated with the Third Pompeian Style. The garden basin retains opus spicatum brickwork and a waterproof lining. Above the Roman levels, the square tower known as Torre Bruciata rises on reused blocks. The cathedral phase is visible in its three-nave plan, central apse and white marble flooring. Pierced chancel screens, or transennae, date to the eighth and ninth centuries.

Context and history

Excavations brought the remains to light in the 1980s. A steel-and-glass shelter was added in the late 1990s, covering the site about two metres below the present piazza. The Roman house was later altered, perhaps for public or guild use. The cathedral was burned and levelled in the Norman assault of 1156–57. Its remains were later associated with the de' Pompetti family's chapel dedicated to Sant'Anna, which gave the piazza its name.