![\"Submerged](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/italy\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/submerged-roman-port-in-italy-1.jpg\")
<\/a>Credit: University of Salento<\/p>\nThe project is led by the Department of Cultural Heritage at the University of Salento, under the scientific direction of Rita Auriemma. The work is carried out under a permit from Italy\u2019s Ministry of Culture, with support from local cultural and public bodies.<\/p>\n
A major focus this year is a large Roman port complex lying beneath the sea <\/a>in front of the former pumping station. Researchers are studying a long, straight structure extending from the ancient shoreline and ending in a wide platform.<\/p>\n The structure follows an L-shaped plan known from Roman ports along low, sandy coastlines across the Mediterranean<\/a>. Today, much of the structure survives only as a submerged foundation<\/a>.<\/p>\n The team hopes to confirm a date from the Augustan period, between the late first century BCE and the first century CE. Researchers are also testing a link to an important event in Roman history.<\/p>\n One possibility is that the port was where Octavian landed in 44 BCE after the death of Julius Caesar. From there, he would have continued toward Rome. The excavation will help assess whether the port\u2019s date and layout fit this proposed event.<\/p>\n Much of the ancient structure lies beneath layers of sand. Archaeologists will map its full layout and study its connection with another submerged structure<\/a> farther north. Researchers think this second structure could have served as a lighthouse tower. It is known today as the \u201cSubmerged Church.\u201d<\/p>\n Work on land will continue as well. Excavations in 2025 showed the settlement beside the ancient shore was larger and more complex than expected. This season, researchers will focus on a large plastered basin found within the site.<\/p>\n The basin could have formed part of a Roman facility used to process and salt<\/a> fish. Its location near the ancient salt works known as the Conche del sale supports this idea.<\/p>\n<\/a>Credit: University of Salento<\/p>\n<\/a>Credit: University of Salento<\/p>\n