The Barberini tomb, also known as
the Corneli tomb, is set to open to the public for the first
time ever in November, following a major restoration.
The tomb is situated at the start of the archaeological park
on Via Latina, one of the oldest of the ancient Roman roads,
which in that area has been transformed into a neighbourhood
park.
Visitors must make a reservation to be accompanied by a guide
on a tour of the brick building with multicolour decorations on
the facade - whose traces of bright hues of yellow, red, violet
and gold have re-emerged - as well as interior frescoes dating
to the 2nd century A.D..
The tomb is the only one along the road (which also includes
the Valeri tomb and the Pancrazi tomb) that is still standing
and in its original form.
"The monument is well-preserved, because through the
centuries it was always used as a shelter for agriculture and
sheep-farming purposes, up through the 1800s," said Francesca
Montella, the archaeologist who directed the restoration, which
was carried out with a 250,000-euro investment.
The tomb is named after the Barberini family, who were the
last owners of the land in that area of the park.
The restoration will be fully complete early next year and
become part of the Appia Antica Archaeological Park sites, said
the park's director, Rita Paris.
She said additional work is under consideration, including
the start of a major restoration operation on the basilica of
Santo Stefano, the only Christian church in that area.
The Corneli tomb restoration took two years, during which the
building was secured and made accessible by rebuilding the
ground floor (which had collapsed over time), as well as the
stairs to the upper floor, and installing a lighting system.
The floors were rebuilt using metal grids, allowing for a
true appreciation of the monument's considerable interior size.
The isolated tomb has always towered over the Roman
countryside.
In the 1700s the Barberini family removed a splendid
sarcophagus from it, which contains scenes inspired by the myth
of Protesilaus and Laodamia and is now housed in the Vatican
Museums.
The restoration project investment also covers the
preparation of the hypogeum underground level that hosted the
funeral chamber, where the walls and ceilings have already been
secured and where work is now underway to restore part of the
mosaic floor.
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