Scavi Scaligeri - Centro Internazionale di Fotografia

Beneath the courtyard of Verona’s judicial palaces, the Scavi Scaligeri preserve a Roman street and the remains of a Roman house. Glass openings in the courtyard floor reveal the archaeological layers below, while the site’s later history as an exhibition space connects ancient Verona with photography and contemporary art.

Why it matters

The excavation began during renovation work on Verona’s judicial palaces in the 1970s. Architect Libero Cecchini supported preventive archaeology and invited British archaeologist Peter Hudson, associated with the stratigraphic excavation method. Between 1981 and 1985, archaeologists uncovered a Roman street and an underlying domus within a sequence of structures from different periods. Rather than cover the remains, Cecchini designed the courtyard with glass openings and viewing windows that allowed the ancient street to remain part of the site’s architecture.

What to notice

The Roman street and house are visible through glass oculi and windows integrated into the courtyard. The excavation reveals more than the Roman level: medieval and later remains record the long administrative and judicial role of this part of Verona. Cecchini’s design places the archaeological layers within the modern court complex, bringing the ancient street into view without separating it from the city’s later history.

Context and history

The block housed administrative and judicial offices from the Middle Ages through the Venetian period and into the era of the Italian Republic. After the 1981–1985 excavations, conservation work took place in 1989, and the site hosted contemporary-art exhibitions in 1992–1993. It reopened in 1996 as the International Centre of Photography – Scavi Scaligeri, which remained active until 2015. Following a technical upgrade, the excavations reopened in 2026 within Verona’s civic museum network as a venue for its International Centre of Photography.