So to another Unesco World Heritage Site, which rose on Etruscan and Roman foundations… Firenze, Florence, formerly Colonia Florentia. Such is the wealth of artistry and architecture in this city that its pre-Renaissance story unsurprisingly rarely gets a mention. Like Naples, the vastness and extent of human habitation, and what has since been built, have concealed what remains of the Roman Amphitheatre beneath its streets. What is known of it remains buried, and celebrated in a few exhibits in the Museum of Archaeology. The many visitors making their way from the markets and hotels east of the city centre passing through the Piazza Santa Croce en route to the  Uffizi, Ponte Vecchio and the Cathedral of Santa Maria will unwittingly walk right through it without realising – unless they happen to be subconsciously distracted by the odd curves of the Via Torta or the Piazza Dei Peruzzi.  

The Palazzo Vecchio sits on the site of a theatre which formed the south-east corner of the walled city. A short distance to the east was the great Amphitheatre. There are bits of it in cellars and walls, none accessible to the public, and it appears the last time anyone did any serious digging in the vicinity was in 1884-86 when a sewer was laid in the Borgo Dei Greci. The arch and section of arena wall uncovered were taken to the Museum. Remains found on site were used to assign a first century construction date. From the street, when you know what is there, the sense of being next to an Amphitheatre is powerful and evident. The curved buildings in Piazza Dei Peruzzi, Via Dei Bentaccordi and Via Torta follow its outer lines, bulk and height.

Not wishing to beat you over the head with the ‘Fossil’ analogy but the Florence amphitheatre really is just like a Dorset ammonite. It is substantially no longer present, but the detailed form has been preserved and colonised by later materials. There are thousands of reasons to visit Florence, and the city authorities have no need or inclination to boost its attractions by pulling down buildings and digging up bits of ancient Rome. So for now, it will remain beneath the streets with hints of a ghostly presence above.