Ancient Roman site had been obscured by hoarding in recent years.

Hadrian's Athenaeum is once again visible to passersby after the city removed the concrete barriers and hoarding that had long obscured the ancient site in Piazza della Madonna di Loreto.

The sunken ruins are now protected with a new fence and the surrounding pavements have been repaved sampietrini cobblestones as part of city works carried out in the Piazza Venezia area.

The news was announced by Rome mayor Virginia Raggi who is seeking re-election later this year.

When the excavation of the 900-seat auditorium was completed in 2013, archaeologists hailed it as the city's most significant discovery since the Roman Forum was unearthed 80 years ago.

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After the fall of the Roman empire, archaeologists believe that the complex was used to smelt ingots and mint coins during the Byzantine era, while from the 16th- to the 19th centuries one of the halls served as a hospital cellar.

An earthquake in 848 AD led to a large part of the structure’s roof collapsing onto the floor of one of the halls, where it still remains.

The archaeologists' discovery follows years of excavations and came about as a result of digging for Metro C, the capital’s third underground line. Photo Virginia Raggi.

Restyling works underway around Hadrian’s Athenaeum in Piazza Venezia #Rome pic.twitter.com/1xuj75hsvT

— Wanted in Rome (@wantedinrome) June 3, 2021