Rome, 3 February 2000

500 Million Italian Lire to Finance Jewish Catacomb Study

Last November, after the passing of the law "Roma Capitale," which allocated funds for the restoration of the Villa Tolonia, the Jewish Community in Rome publicly denounced the government in a newspaper article published in the Italian daily La Repubblica, because no mention was made of funds for the Jewish catacombs that were, in fact, beneath many of the historic buildings in the park scheduled for restoration. The park covers two separate Jewish catacombs developed beside the ancient Roman consular road, the via Nomentana, which extends from the northeast of the city. The catacombs contain some of the best preserved testimonies in painting and inscription of Rome's Jewish community during the Late Antique period. The preservation of these sites has been in the hands of the Soprintendenza Archeologica di Roma, Rome's State Archaeological Commission, since the revision of the Lateran Concordat in 1984. There has been limited study of the site since the Italian State acquired the Torlonia catacombs, and the presence of noxious gasses lingering in the corridors and several incidents of vandalism have forced the closure of the catacombs for visit and study. The Law "Roma Capitale" allocated 32 billion Italian lire for the restoration of the Villa Tolonia, with an additional 6 billion from the Environment Ministry; the project included the construction of a four-story building for apartments and offices, and an underground parking lot near the Villa Torlonia, Mussolini's former residence. These projects would focus an intense amount of construction activity close to or above the site of the catacombs. Today the Committee for "Roma Capitale" announced in Corriere della Sera that an initial investment of 500 million lire will be directed from the project into a preliminary study of the Jewish catacombs, archaeological sites "unique in Italy". In addition, the underground parking lot planned nearby has been removed from the project. The accord was reached after a meeting between members of the Archaeological and Fine Arts Commissions, the Roma Capitale office, and a representative from Rome's Jewish community.

Contributed by Jessica Dello Russo