Largo Argentina site will become accessible to the general public for the first time thanks to raised paths that will allow visitors to "walk through history."

Rome's archaeological site at Largo di Torre Argentina is to be opened up to the general public for the first time thanks to a €1 million project sponsored by luxury jeweller Bulgari, with works set to begin mid-May.

The news was announced today by Bvlgari CEO Jean-Christophe Babin and Rome mayor Virginia Raggi who said the completed project, expected to take about a year, would offer visitors a "journey through time."

"It is one of the most evocative places in Rome, a treasure chest in the heart of the city" - the mayor wrote on Facebook - "Imagine, this archaeological complex houses four temples dating from between the third and second centuries BC."

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Raggi said the works will - for the first time - make the site accessible in "an integral, definitive way" and that until now people have been accustomed to looking down on the ruins from street level, "as if from a balcony."

The scheme involves creating a system of "vertical and horizontal paths" inside the archaeological area, allowing visitors to "walk through history," said Raggi, while the Torre del Papito will house a ticket office and exhibition space.

The walkways will be built at a height and will be illuminated at night with LED lights, reports Italian newspaper La Repubblica, and the site will be accessible to visitors with disabilities.

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The raised paths will allow a close view of the four Roman Republican temples, including the circular monument to the goddess of Fortune, and the remains of Pompey's Theatre.

Visitors will also be able to view the numerous archaeological finds from the excavations and demolitions carried out during the Fascist period.

The so-called sacred area of Largo Argentina is best known as being the scene of Julius Caesar's assassination; it is also the home of a popular cat sanctuary which - the city assures - will not be affected by the works.

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The plan to make the site accessible to visitors is Bvlgari's latest act of patronage to the Italian capital. 

In 2016 the luxury jeweller financed the €1.5 million restoration of the Spanish Steps while more recently it provided a significant financial contribution to the new lighting system illuminating the Ara Pacis museum and its ancient altar.

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The re-lighting project at the museum in March came days before the city opened the Mausoleum of Augustus, following a €6.5 million restoration funded by the Italian telecommunications company TIM.

The hive of activity in the surrounding Piazza Augusto Imperatore includes ongoing works by Bulgari to convert a landmark building in the square into a 5-star hotel.

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The Bulgari Hotel will be located in a rationalist-style building designed by Vittorio Ballio Morpurgo, built between 1936 and 1938. The luxury hotel is set to open next year.

Photo credit: ColorMaker / Shutterstock.com.

Grazie al mecenatismo di @Bulgariofficial tra un anno sarà possibile visitare l'Area Sacra di largo Argentina con camminamenti che permetteranno una visione ravvicinata dei templi. Prevista anche un'area espositiva con reperti e pannelli didattici per rivivere la storia del luogo pic.twitter.com/OHWLg7joxd

— Sovrintendenza Roma (@Sovrintendenza) April 15, 2021