An early Christian basilica was unearthed during the excavation for the new Lavazza headquarters in Turin.
A necropolis dating to the third century CE is among the oldest finds; in the fourth century, small mausoleums dedicated to early Christian figures were built in the same area of the city. The basilica was erected on top of one of these.
Piedmont’s superintendent for archaeological heritage, Egle Micheletto, commented, ‘This is an exceptional find for Turin, a mere 800 metres from the city centre.’
When the discovery of the ancient basilica threatened to stop the coffee company’s new headquarters from being built, an agreement was struck between Lavazza, the City of Turin and the regional department for archaeological heritage: the offices will be built in such a way as to enable visits to the archaeological site.
The Nuvola verde (Green Cloud) complex has been designed by Cino Zucchi and will stand on the former Enel power plant site along via Bologna. Once the work is finished in 2016, the archaeological site will be open to the public.
