The ancient Tridentum

Under Trento’s historical centre lies the ancient Roman Tridentum, or the splendidum municipium, as it was called by Emperor Claudius in 46 A.D. Towards the middle of the first century B.C. the Romans founded this city for strategic reasons, as an important garrison commanding the Adige valley along the main road linking the Mediterranean area with central Europe. Tridentum had a normal urban layout and it was enclosed on three sides, respectively to the south, to the east and to the west by a city wall surrounded by a moat, whereas the northern limits were protected by the River Adige. Tridentum occupied an area of around 13 hectares and it was divided internally into rectangular blocks marked off by roads (cardus and decumanus) meeting orthogonally, with defence towers at the end near the city walls. Under the current Torre Civica (Civic Tower), in Piazza Duomo, there are the remains of the Porta Veronensis, the monumental entrance gate to the city, built in the 1st century BC. Below the Cathedral the remains of the ancient Paleochristian Basilica of San Vigilio, erected outside the city walls, can be visited. In Via Rosmini you can visit the Roman Villa of Orpheus, built in what is believed was a sector of the city reserved to prestigious residential villas. In the basement of the prestigious building of Casa Terlago, which overlooks Via Belenzani, there is an archaeological area where part of a Roman city district can be seen. Here, a short stretch of the cardus maximus, paved with large stones of various sizes made of local limestone can be seen. Under Piazza Cesare Battisti there is the S.A.S.S., a 1700mq archaeological area corresponding to a district of the ancient Tridentum. Following renovations in Piazza Lodron it was possible to discover the remains of an ancient wine cellar. At the summit of Dos Trento, the ruins of an ancient early Christian basilica dating back to the 5th century AD are to be found.