Authorities on Tuesday unveiled what is believed to be the largest fresco and mosaic complex of ancient Rome: a first-century A.D. depiction of a maritime city in what became the largest bath complex in the world.
Mayor Roberto Gualtieri presented the recently restored “Painted City” fresco and “Great Mosaic” that were discovered in an underground gallery during excavations in the 1990s of the Baths of Trajan on the Oppio Hill near the Colosseum.
A view of the “The Painted City” 15-meter wall mosaic discovered during the 1990s built as foundations for the Baths of Trajan during 1990s, Rome, Italy, Sept. 8, 2026. (AP Photo)
The works are opening to the public for the first time, initially in small groups of 15 and during a trial period of weekend access starting this month. The aim is to determine how the delicate works respond to increased humidity and climatic impact before allowing broader access.
Gualtieri said the fresco, which features images of a walled port city from a bird’s-eye view perspective, is the largest wall fresco of its kind from ancient Rome and needs to be open to the public. After being hidden underground for centuries, its blue and terra cotta colors are still clear but faded.
“They are truly unique in the world, both from the point of view of artistic beauty and their historic and documentary importance,” he said at the unveiling.
A section of the restored 15-meter ancient wall mosaic from “The Painted City” site, discovered in the late 1990s within the underground structures that served as foundations for the Baths of Trajan, Rome, Italy, Sept. 8, 2026. (AP Photo)
Rome’s cultural superintendent, Claudio Parisi Presicce, said the grandeur of the port city as depicted in the fresco, with buildings, a theater and a temple, public piazzas and towers, was particularly well conserved. The restoration work included techniques to preserve and improve visibility, remove surface deposits and consolidate the grouting to keep the decorated surfaces intact.
“We don’t know what city it refers to, but it must have been a particularly well-known one,” he said.
The mosaic, for its part, measures about 15 meters (49 feet) high and features intricately decorated columns and architectural elements and figures over four different levels. The top levels are up-close images with people that are almost like theatrical scenes, while at the bottom are views of the port city’s layout from above.
The southwestern exedra of the Baths of Trajan, backdropped by the Colosseum, Rome, Italy, Sept. 8, 2026. (AP Photo)
The Baths of Trajan, which were dedicated by Emperor Trajan in 109 A.D., extended over six hectares (15 acres) and were at the time the largest bath complex in the world. They incorporated an earlier bath complex, the Domus Aurea, and were designed on a different trajectory to take better advantage of the water temperatures to optimize the thermal experience for users.
The complex, now open to the public, includes a grand semicircular upper-level library that archaeologists believe was part of the baths complex and allowed users not only to exercise and bathe but also to participate in cultural activities.
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