Archaeologists have uncovered a truly astonishing quantity of gold coins beneath a palazzo in the city of Como.
Ministry of Cultural Heritage and Activities
The palazzo housing the Cressoni Theatre, which later became the Central Cinema, closed in 1997 and is undergoing substantial renovation.
Excavations within the building exposed a Roman amphora (usually used for storing wine or olive oil) with around 300 gold coins inside. The coins are thought to be around 1,500 years old and as they had been sealed in the amphora they are in remarkably good condition.
Lake Como, along with much of Italy, would have been affected by the conflicts that brought about the end of the Roman Empire. Goths and Vandals gained and ceded control in a turbulent period before the Roman Empire finally ended. It seems likely that in the midst of the upheaval the owner buried the coins to keep them safe. Little could the owner have imagined that it would be 15 centuries before they were seen again.
Anyone contemplating the renovation of a historic property on Lake Como can expect many interesting original features to be rediscovered, and just occasionally Roman artifacts. Gold coins from the days of the Roman Empire have yet to be unearthed in any of Ultissimo’s Lake Como renovation projects!
Read more -> Roman gold coins found in theater basement