Caput Mundi: Baths of Trajan - Underground Gallery - Restoration of the “Painted City” fresco

Caput Mundi Next Generation EU for touristic great events (Mission 1, Component 3, Investment 4.3)

Italy’s Recovery and Resilience Plan increases the number of accessible tourist sites in Rome, creating valid and qualified tourist and cultural alternatives with respect to the crowded central areas, as well as increasing the use of digital technologies, enhance green areas and the sustainability of tourism. The investment envisages six lines of interventions:
1. “Roman Cultural Heritage for EU-Next Generation”, covering the regeneration and restoration of cultural and urban heritage and complexes of high historical-architectural value of the city of Rome;
2. “Jubilee paths” (from pagan to Christian Rome), targeted to the enhancement, safety, anti-seismic consolidation, restoration of places and buildings of historical interest and archaeological pathways;
3. #LaCittàCondivisa, covering the redevelopment of sites in peripheral areas;
4. #Mitingodiverde, covering interventions on parks, historical gardens, villas and fountains;
5. #Roma 4.0, covering the digitalization of cultural services and the development of apps for tourists;
6. #Amanotesa, aimed at increasing the supply of cultural offer to peripheries for social integration.

The investment is financed by the Recovery and Resilience Facility by EUR 500 million and includes this project.
The project involves restoring the building's upper floor (seismic/structural assessment, paths, lighting, reception, vault, connections, masonry, educational displays) and lower floor (reception/bookshop, footbridge, new paths, excavation completion, multimedia upgrade). Key artworks like the "Painted City" fresco and "Great Mosaic" will be restored and preserved through cleaning, consolidation, and plastering. This project is financed by the Recovery and Resilience Facility with EUR 4095000The work will be divided according to the needs of the different areas: On the upper floor, investigations will be conducted to assess seismic and structural vulnerability through load tests. The paths and green spaces will also be improved, and a new lighting system will be installed. A reception area will be created for the public, equipped with seating, and the vault of the collapsed room will be restored. Vertical connections will be made between the upper and lower areas, and the masonry will be restored. Educational displays will also be created to enrich the visitors' experience.

On the lower floor, the room adjacent to the entrance will be arranged to create a reception area or bookshop. A footbridge will be built to connect the two parts of the building, and new paths will be created. Archaeological excavations will be completed, and the multimedia system will be upgraded upon completion. Restoration work will be carried out on the “Painted City” fresco and the “Great Mosaic” to ensure their preservation and improve their visibility. A preventive biocide treatment will be carried out on the decorated surfaces, and surface deposits will be removed through a cleaning operation. Consolidation and plastering will be carried out to preserve and restore the decorated surfaces.