Duomo subway station in Naples was designed by prominent Rome architect Massimiliano Fuksas.

Naples is putting the finishing touches to what has been hailed as the "most beautiful metro station in the world" by Luigi de Magistris, mayor of the southern Italian city.

The futuristic Duomo subway station has been designed by Massimiliano Fuksas, the celebrated Roman architect who was behind the Nuvola congress centre in the capital.

The metro station will also act as a museum thanks to the discovery of the remains of an ancient Roman temple which will be visible from street level thanks to a transparent steel and glass dome.

The long-awaited Duomo station, part of Linea 1 and located in Piazza Amore, is scheduled to open in July following extensive delays caused by the discovery of the first-century AD temple in 2004.

The existence of the long-lost Roman temple of the Neapolitan Isolympic Games was known to archaeologists for centuries, reports the Archaeology News Network.

The Olympic-style Neapolitan Games, or Ludi Neapolitani, were established in 2 AD to honour Augustus, some years after the emperor came to the aid of the Neapolitan city when it was devastated by a powerful earthquake.

Fuksas has defined the concept behind the project as "an astronaut's walk" with commuters descending to the subway platforms 40 metres underground through a series of steel panels that change colour according to the times of the day and depending on the weather.

The flooring and stairs are in travertine marble while the exit staircase is in lava stone, and archaeological excavations are set to continue at the site even after the metro station opens, reports Artribune.

Cover photo: Fermata metropolitana Duomo ©Studio Fuksas Napoli EXT VIEW.