Fano, Basilica of Vitruvius, Archaeological investigations

Fano - Piazza Andrea Costa
Archaeological investigations

Texts from the information signs placed in the perimeter of the current excavations (Ministero della Cultura, SABAP AN-PU, Comune di Fano, AdArte), images as per attribution

1) From Early Investigations to the 2024 Excavations
2) Archaeological Excavations 2025-2026. Overview
3) Basilica of Vitruvius - From De Architectura to later reconstructions
4) Basilica of Vitruvius - From models to excavation data: correlations
5) The Macellum
6) Medieval and Modern Buildings

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1) From Early Investigations to the 2024 Excavations

Between the late 19th and early 20th centuries, the demolition of the Monastery of San Daniele, carried out for the construction of the new market in Piazza A. Costa, brought to light ancient structures.

Two structures were identified in the area between Palazzo Amiani and Palazzo Boccaccio [map], as recorded in the drawings by Ciro Uguccioni.

Archaeological investigations, 1910
(Fano, Sezione Archivio di Stato)

In the first, near Palazzo Amiani, three spaces were investigated, probably connected with craft activities. These areas ("A-F-N") include: an almost square room, possibly used as a water reservoir; a space with the remains of a small basin; and a blocked well.

Detail of the structures in front of Palazzo Amiani

In the second structure, near Palazzo Boccaccio, remains of poorly defined spaces and a channel (H-H') were uncovered, possibly connected to the nearby Arzilla stream or the Metauro River

Space A features a mosaic floor with white tesserae, while in sector "D" a small staircase leads to the underground channel "H-H'".

Finally, space "O" preserves a mosaic floor with black tesserae.

Detail of the structures in front of Palazzo Boccaccio

Among the finds, a marble female head dating to the Flavian period stands out; it is now preserved in the Civic Museum of Fano.

The excavations in Piazza A. Costa, funded by the Municipality of Fano, form part of the urban redevelopment of the square.

In 2024, investigations in Lots 1 and 2 (western sector) revealed five Roman spaces, three of which have mosaics with black tesserae and marble slabs also used as wall revetment. Particularly noteworthy is a sub-rectangular apsidal structure lined with cocciopesto.

The early medieval phase is represented by a necropolis, including the well-known "Abbraccio di Fano" burial: two individuals (an adult and a child) laid to rest embracing each other in the same earthen grave.

Archaeological investigations, 2024 - Medieval burial
(SABAP AN-PU)

2) Archaeological Excavations 2025-2026. Overview

The 2025-2026 archaeological excavations in Piazza A, Costa concern Lot 3 (eastern sector), bounded by Via Montevecchio (south), Via Arco di Augusto (north), the fish market (west), and the herb market (east), covering a total area of approximately 1,000 square metres.

The excavations, conducted under the direction of the Superintendency of Archaeology, Fine Arts and Landscape for the provinces of Ancona and Pesaro-Urbino, have brought to light the remains of the Monastery of San Daniele, founded by Augustinian nuns in 1584 and annexed to the Church of San Daniele, a parish since 1226.

These structures overlap with archaeological evidence from earlier medieval and Roman phases.

To the south of Lot 3, the monastery overlies the Macellum, a Roman public building used for the trade of meat and fish. To the north, towards Via Arco di Augusto, lies the Basilica of Vitruvius, whose perimeter walls emerged during the early stages of excavation.

To the north-west of the Basilica is the Forum of the Colonia Iulia Fanestris.

The excavation area lies at the intersection of the two main streets of Roman Fano: the Decumanus Maximus (east-west), corresponding to Via Arco di Augusto, and the Cardo Maximus (north-south), beneath the fish market.

The five columns uncovered (diameter 1.50 m / 5 Roman feet) correspond closely, in both description and dimensions, to those described by Vitruvius in De Architectura, confirming the identification and location of the building.

This discovery marks a turning point in the history of Fano: "We have found the Basilica of Vitruvius."

Archaeological investigations, 2025-2026 - "South-East" column
(SABAP AN-PU)

Reconstructive Hypothesis of Roman-Era Evidence
(AdArte)

3) Basilica of Vitruvius - From De Architectura to later reconstructions

"There are, however, basilicas that can compare in dignity and beauty, such as that of the Colonia Iulia of Fano, which I myself designed and whose construction I supervised

(De Architectura Book V, 1.6)

Vitruvius provides a detailed description of the civil basilica of the Colonia Iulia Fanestris. The central nave measures 120 feet (35.5 m) in length and 60 feet (17.7 m) in width. The columns are 50 feet (14.8 m) high and 5 feet (1.48 m) in diameter.

Engaged piers are set against the columns; these are 20 feet (5.9 m) high, 2.5 feet (0.74 m) wide and 1.5 feet (0.44 m) deep, and support the upper gallery. Above them stand smaller piers, 18 feet (5.3 m) high, 2 feet (0.59 m) wide and 1 foot (0.29 m) thick.

In the central nave, Vitruvius describes four columns on the short side, eight along the long side facing the forum (Via Arco di Augusto), and six on the opposite side, so as not to obstruct the view of the Temple of Augustus (Aedes Augusti), oriented towards the forum and the Temple of Jupiter. Within the complex was the tribunal (law court), the space dedicated to the administration of justice.

Since the 15th century, numerous scholars and architects have proposed reconstructions of the Basilica of Fano. Among them, Andrea Palladio (1556) placed the pronaos along the long side, together with the Temple of Augustus and the tribunal, identifying the main entrance to the basilica on the long side, opening onto the forum.

Palladio's drawing, 1556
(from the 1567 edition of De Architectura by Daniele Barbero)

Location of the remains on the Basilica map
(Archeoclub Fano)

4) Basilica of Vitruvius - From models to excavation data: correlations

The Basilica of Vitruvius in Fano was the civic building where administrative, judicial and economic functions took place during the Roman period.

The hypothesis recently proposed, which places the basilica between Piazza Avveduti and Piazza A. Costa, facing Via Arco di Augusto (the so-called "eastern" basilica type), has been confirmed by the 2025-2026 archaeological investigations.

This is supported by the measurements (column diameter 1.50 m), the intercolumniation (3 m), and the alignment of the columns.

Excavations have so far brought to light five columns: four in Piazza A. Costa (Lot 3) and one in Piazza Avveduti, including a corner column, all closely matching Vitruvius' description.

Each column, together with its engaged pier, originally reached a height of approximately 15 m.

The structures consist of a core in caementicium (a mixture of lime, pozzolana and aggregates such as stones and brick fragments), faced with opus vittatum (small
rectangular blocks arranged in horizontal courses), a construction technique widely attested in Roman public buildings in Fano.

As for the building's flooring, the 2025-2026 excavations have so far identified only the preparatory layers: statumen (dry-laid stones), rudus (lime, sand and gravel/pebbles), and nucleus (mortar mixed with ceramic or marble fragments, known as crustae).

The Aedes Augusti and the tribunal (law court), integrated within a single space, may have occupied the long side opposite the forum.

Aerial photo of the excavation - SABAP AN-PU
(in the red circle the "S-E" column)

5) The Macellum

In Roman cities, there was a clear distinction between political and economic functions and commercial activities, the latter being located in a designated area of the public square, the forum.

In the Roman world, a specific building devoted to the food trade was developed: the macellum, used for the sale of meat and fish. The term refers to a type of structure consisting of a quadrangular courtyard surrounded by porticoes and shops (tabernae).

Macella became widespread as part of urban renewal following the Social War (91-88 BC) and during the intense building activity of the early Imperial period.

From this time onward, these structures spread throughout the Roman provinces and were typically located in public areas, close to the forum but distinct from the basilica

The internal layout of the macellum was generally organized around a central hexagonal space onto which the commercial units opened. At the centre, there was usually a basin used for the storage and sale of fresh fish.
The building often faced onto the main axes of the Roman city: the Cardo Maximus and the Decumanus Maximus.

During the 2025-2026 excavation campaigns in the area south of Piazza A. Costa, clear evidence of wall structures attributable to the macellum of the Roman city of Fano has emerged.

Ongoing investigations have brought to light three wall segments belonging to the hexagonal area and adjoining spaces interpreted as shops (tabernae).

These interpretations will be further verified as the excavation progresses.

Aerial photo of the Macellum excavation area
(SABAP AN-PU)

6) Medieval and Modern Buildings

In the past, a traveller walking along Via Arco di Augusto would have encountered a very different urban landscape from today: instead of the market square and fish market, there were houses, courtyards, and the buildings of the church and convent of San Daniele, located in what is now Piazza A. Costa.

In 1521, the church was transferred to the Augustinian nuns, also known as Ursulines and Trinitarians, who had previously occupied the monasteries of Sant'Orsolina (near Porta Maggiore) and of the Holy Trinity (later known as the Suffragio).

In 1584, the nuns built a new monastery next to the church, retaining its name.

A marble plaque, now preserved in the Civic Museum of Palazzo Malatestiano, commemorates the Bishop of Fano, F. Rusticucci, who consecrated the rebuilt church in 1585. The inscription reads:

FRANC(iscu)S RUSTIC(ucciu)S EPI(scopu)S
ET CIVIS FANEN(sis) ECCL(esi)AM
S(anct)O DANIELI DEDICATA(m) CO(n)SECRAVIT
PRIDIE NONAS SEPTEMBRIS MDLXXXV
PRAEFECTA S(acris) MONIALIBUS RELIGIOSA
MA(ria) PERA EIUSD(em) EP(iscop)I AMI(tia)

Investigations carried out between 2024 and 2026 have brought to light the pillars of the cloister, the walls of the monastery, and parts of the church structures facing Via Montevecchio.

Documents preserved in the State Archives of Fano record that the convent of San Daniele was demolished in 1910 to make way for a new market.

In 1911, the present-day Piassa Nova was created, featuring a portico open on all four sides of the fish market. A canopy was later added at mid-height to the eastern portico, known as the Fila dei Macei ("Row of Butchers"), a name that survives due to the continued presence of meat shops.

Piazza Andrea Costa in 1911
(lavalledelmetauro.it)

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Useful info: 

- Guided tours to the archaeological heritage of Fano can be booked at the Civic Museum ticket office or on Liveticket platform

- see aldo The 'Must see' - Vitruvius Basilica, the Dream of an Architect