The ancient Roman city of Tridentum, splendidum municipium, as the Emperor Claudius defined it in 46 AD, lives underground in the medieval district of “Sas” in the historic center of Trento.
Founded by the Romans in the mid-1st century B.C., Tridentum constituted an important strategic garrison controlling the Adige river valley, which contained the road connecting central Europe and the Mediterranean. In its original layout, it was a regular urban pattern with wide streets crossing at right angles and a wall with towers and a moat. The city was protected on the northern side by the original course of the Adige River.
Founded by the Romans in the mid-1st century B.C., Tridentum constituted an important strategic garrison controlling the Adige river valley, which contained the road connecting central Europe and the Mediterranean. In its original layout, it was a regular urban pattern with wide streets crossing at right angles and a wall with towers and a moat. The city was protected on the northern side by the original course of the Adige River.
Through the long centuries of its life (1st century BC – 6th century AD) Tridentum underwent interventions and modifications until it was incorporated into medieval and modern Trento.
The invitation of this post is to visit Tridentum.
Two thousand years of history and 1,700 square meters of Roman city in a fascinating and evocative setting are result of archaeological excavations during the Social Theater restoration. The large area is made up of public and private spaces and buildings, a long section of the eastern city wall with a tower transformed in the Imperial age into an urban gate, and an extensive road segment paved with large slabs of local red stone.
Below the road system, various ducts related to an articulated sewer network have been brought to light. Living spaces in parts of houses, floors decorated with mosaics, rooms with underfloor heating systems, courtyards, a perfectly preserved well, and a glassmaker’s workshop are visible. The acronym “S.A.S.S.” recalls the medieval city district called Sas, partly razed to the ground in the 1930s to make room for the square named after Cesare Battisti.
In addition to the remains of Roman Tridentum at the S.A.S.S, the multimedia video “Dentro Trento” is also visible. It’s a three-dimensional journey back in time with reconstructions of the archaeological area using virtual reality techniques. Visitors are given special glasses for 3D viewing, thanks to which they can immerse themselves in the atmosphere of Roman Trento. From the remains visible today, the access towers to the city with the surrounding wall take shape and it’s thus possible to walk the streets, visit the artisan shops, and even enter the domestic rooms of housed embellished with precious mosaics. A real journey back in time. Have we intrigued you? All that remains is to wish you… a good dive into the Roman past of Trento!
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