Domus Romana e Insula Romana (Casa del Bambino sul Delfino)

Beneath Palazzo Orsucci in central Lucca, the Domus Romana preserves remains of a Roman house and later building phases. Discovered during renovation work in 2010, the underground site includes a terracotta frieze of two putti riding dolphins toward a Gorgon’s head—the source of its name, “House of the Child on the Dolphin.”

Why it matters

The remains offer a view of Lucca’s long history of building in one place. Roman structures dating to the first century BC lie beneath Lombard, medieval and Renaissance fabric, revealing how the site changed over time. The archaeological excavation was directed by the Soprintendenza for Tuscany.

What to notice

Fragments of a terracotta frieze from the atrium were reconstructed as two putti riding dolphins toward a Gorgon’s head. The image has been interpreted as a contrast between protective dolphins and the Gorgon. Finds from the site include an Augustan bronze fibula discovered inside a terracotta vessel and a sesterce of Tiberius, minted in AD 14 in honour of Augustus. Ninety-two objects from the Roman, Lombard, medieval and Renaissance periods were returned to the site and displayed in the spaces where they had been found.

Context and history

The Roman house belonged to Luca, the colony whose street plan still shapes Lucca’s historic centre. After its Roman phase, later construction rose above and around the earlier remains. The site was uncovered during work in the basement of Palazzo Orsucci and is now presented as an archaeological museum, bringing together structures and objects that illuminate the development of the city over more than two millennia.