Opening to the public of the “Portico dell’Atleta” in Catania

Friday February 13 – 3:00 p.m.
Church of San Francesco Borgia, Catania

The Roman underground complex, discovered in the 1990s along Via Crociferi, will be reopened to the public on 13 February 2026 thanks to the activities of the University of Catania, as part of the PNRR CHANGES project, in collaboration with the Archaeological Park of Catania and the Aci Valley. This first opening to the public will be accompanied by the meeting “The Portico and its Athlete. Recovery, enhancement and enjoyment of a ‘forgotten’ archaeological site”, which will feature presentations by the National Research Council, with Antonino Mazzaglia, Fabiana Cerasa and Mario Indelicato (CNR–ISPC of Catania), as part of the PNRR CHANGES project. Following this, Stefania Pafumi (CNR-ISMed of Naples) will explore the theme of the Athlete, while Francesco Gabellone and Maria Chiffi (CNR–Nanotec and TECHNE sas) will present a video reconstruction of the complex.

The Portico, accessible from an entrance under the Alessi staircase, preserves underground rooms decorated with niches, exedras and mosaics, part of what is likely to have been a monumental building dating back to the 1st century AD. The famous marble statue of the Athlete, discovered in 1989, will also be on display here.

In the coming months, “visible” restoration work and an immersive virtual reconstruction of the complex are planned.

The complete programme is available on the University of Catania website