Underground Trento: Roman Tridentum, S.A.S.S. and Villa di Orfeo

Golden Suites Italy editorial team · Updated on 22 October 2026 · 4 min read

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Beneath the squares of Trento lies another city: Tridentum, founded by the Romans in the first century BC on the bank of the Adige. Several parts of it can be visited, and the most spectacular is the Spazio Archeologico Sotterraneo del Sas, beneath Piazza Cesare Battisti, which shares a ticket with the Villa romana di Orfeo.

The Spazio Archeologico Sotterraneo del Sas

The S.A.S.S. was born of the excavations carried out between 1990 and 2000 to restore and extend the neighbouring Teatro Sociale. Today you walk among 1,700 square metres of Roman city:

• a long stretch of the eastern walls, with a tower turned into a city gate in the imperial age;
• a paved street with large slabs of local red stone and, beneath it, the sewers;
• houses with mosaic floors, rooms with underfloor heating, courtyards and a perfectly preserved well;
• a glassmaker's workshop.

The name recalls the Sas, the medieval district that stood here and was demolished in the 1930s to make way for Piazza Cesare Battisti. The video “Dentro Trento” (“Inside Trento”) digitally reconstructs what the area looked like in Roman times, and a free audio guide in Italian, English and German, which you download with the QR code at the entrance, accompanies the visit in eleven stops.

Tridentum in virtual reality

Inside the S.A.S.S. you can put on a headset and find yourself in four places in Roman Trento, digitally reconstructed: the S.A.S.S. itself, the Porta Veronensis, the Palazzo Lodron area and the amphitheatre. The experience is not recommended for children under 8.

The Villa romana di Orfeo

A few minutes' walk away, at via Rosmini 4, you can visit the Villa di Orfeo, so called for the large floor mosaic in which Orpheus charms the animals with his music. It has the same opening times as the S.A.S.S. and one ticket covers both. Here and in the S.A.S.S. there is also the exhibition “I colori di Tridentum” (“The Colours of Tridentum”), with mosaics, frescoes and marble pieces from the Roman city on show for the first time.

The other places of Roman Trento

• Archaeological area of Palazzo Lodron, at piazza Lodron 31: a stretch of Roman road and city wall, open on Wednesdays, Thursdays and Fridays from 10am to 12 noon and from 2.30pm to 4.30pm.
• Porta Veronensis: the remains of the city's south gate are in the basement of the Palazzo Pretorio, on Piazza Duomo, with a stretch of the cardo maximus marked by cart wheels; the eastern part is incorporated into the foundations of the Torre Civica. Ask the Diocesan Museum whether the area can be visited at that time.

Opening times and tickets

• 1 October to 31 May: Tuesday to Sunday, 9am–1pm and 2pm–5.30pm.
• 1 June to 30 September: Tuesday to Sunday, 9.30am–1pm and 2pm–6pm.
• Closed on Mondays (except public-holiday Mondays), 1 January, 1 November and 25 December.
• Ticket for the S.A.S.S. and Villa di Orfeo: €5; reduced €4 for ages 15 to 26 and over-65s; free up to age 14. Guided tours €3, workshops €4.
• The Trentino Guest Card and the Museum Pass are accepted. Tickets are bought at the entrance, with no need to book.

Tips for your visit

Wear comfortable shoes: the floor is the original Roman one, and uneven. Dogs are allowed in only if small and carried in arms or in a carrier. The S.A.S.S. is five minutes from Piazza Duomo and Buonconsiglio Castle, so it fits easily into our one-day itinerary; on rainy days you can combine it with the museums of Trento.