Family Fixing a Toilet Uncovered Ancient Rooms and Tomb Beneath
60-year-old Lucian
Faggiano of Lecce, purchased a building at 56 Via Ascanio Grandi in hopes of
opening a ttratoria - an Italian eatery. He immediately began renovations, and
in order to repair a blocked toilet, he and his sons decided to dig a trench
and isolate the problematic pipe. They expected to fix the toilet up in a
week's time.
This was over eight years
ago. Faggiano has still not been able to open his eatery because instead of
isolating the offending pipe, they found underground corridors and rooms
beneath the property.
As they were digging the
trench to find the toilet plumbing they suddenly found an ancient stone floor
covering a Messapian burial tomb.
Following downward
through cracks and holes, the family also discovered a Roman grain storage room
and remains of a Franciscan convent. They discovered the ancient town of Sybar.
Faggiano kept his
discoveries secret, even from his wife, in fear that any problems would delay
the completion of his trattoria.
Investigators did
discover the amateur work being done and informed Faggiano that without
officials recording the contents of the site he must cease work.
A year later the proper
officials had been put into place, and the digging resumed.
Giovanni Giangreco, one
of the officials assigned to the dig, remarked, “The Faggiano house has layers
that are representative of almost all of the city’s history.
From the Messapians to
the Romans, from the medieval to the Byzantine time.”
Roman pottery, jewelry,
and even wall carvings believed to be the work of the Knights Templar have been
found.
The family was interested
in the layers of history beneath the building, but they were expected to come
up with the costs for the dig.
They were able to rent
out some of the rooms to keep financially stable, but the pressure of the
situation caused Faggiano to almost give up.
Instead, they turned the
building into Museum Faggiano, and installed staircases to allow visitors
access to the many layers of ancient civilization.
Faggiano still intends to
open his trattoria, but wants to find a location without quite so much history
attached. He and his sons did eventually find the plumbing problem, which was
repaired before the museum opened its doors to the public.
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