This month, Rome opens two interesting new sites. The Underground Basilica of Porta Maggiore, known as "the most mysterious basilica of Rome", is now available for guided visits after a long period of closure for restoration work. The monument is considered unique for its exquisite cycle of mythological figures on white stuccoed walls, centred on the cryptic representation of the Greek poetess Saffo in the act of throwing herself over the cliff of Leocade.
The other new monument is the II century AD Mausoleums of Saxa Rubra on the ancient Via Flaminia, after a fifteen-year restoration, with the Tomb of Fadilla (first discovered in 1923), covered in delicate frescos of animals and human figures, and the Tomb of Nasoni (known since 1674), originally believed to be that of the Roman poet Ovid. Unfortunately, many of the frescoes belonging to this tomb were removed in the past and sold to museums abroad, leaving only a small part as witness of its former splendour. Guided visits only with prior booking.
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