Man attempts to fix a toilet, discovers centuries of Roman ruins instead
Luciano Faggiano was dead set on opening his own trattoria in Lecce, Italy. He had already purchased the building, which seemed modern, and even had a new heating system. But the building's constantly clogged toilet led to some remarkable ancient discoveries:
Italy is a country that's particularly rich in ancient history, so discovering ruins during construction isn't actually that rare — the Times points out that subway construction is often impeded by such discoveries, and Lecce's town statue had to be relocated after a Roman ampitheater was discovered below it. But Faggiano's discovery is especially unique because it has "layers that are representative of almost all of the city's history."
Faggiano kept digging through centuries of artifacts not because he loved archaeology, but because he still hoped to find the sewage pipe. (He eventually did, and it was, in fact, broken.)
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
Eventually, the site was deemed so historical that it became the Museum Faggiano, and visitors can explore its underground chambers. Faggiano, for his part, has purchased another building, where he hopes to finally open his restaurant.
Read the fascinating full story at The New York Times.
Create an account with the same email registered to your subscription to unlock access.
Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Meghan DeMaria is a staff writer at TheWeek.com. She has previously worked for USA Today and Marie Claire.
-
'No war is good'
Today's Newspapers A roundup of the headlines from the US front pages
By The Week Staff Published
-
The Week Unwrapped: will the US end child marriage?
Podcast Why some states have no lower limit on marriage age, plus Black maternal health and the price of olive oil
By The Week Staff Published
-
Perplexity AI: has Google finally met its match?
In The Spotlight Generative AI start-up provides fast, Wikipedia-like responses to search queries
By Chas Newkey-Burden, The Week UK Published
-
Puffed rice and yoga: inside the collapsed tunnel where Indian workers await rescue
Speed Read Workers trapped in collapsed tunnel are suffering from dysentery and anxiety over their rescue
By Sorcha Bradley, The Week UK Published
-
More than 2,000 dead following massive earthquake in Morocco
Speed Read
By Justin Klawans Published
-
Mexico's next president will almost certainly be its 1st female president
Speed Read
By Peter Weber Published
-
North Korea's Kim to visit Putin in eastern Russia to discuss arms sales for Ukraine war, U.S. says
Speed Read
By Peter Weber Published
-
Gabon's military leader sworn in following coup in latest African uprising
Speed Read
By Justin Klawans Published
-
Nobody seems surprised Wagner's Prigozhin died under suspicious circumstances
Speed Read
By Peter Weber Published
-
Western mountain climbers allegedly left Pakistani porter to die on K2
Speed Read
By Justin Klawans Published
-
'Circular saw blades' divide controversial Rio Grande buoys installed by Texas governor
Speed Read
By Peter Weber Published