Great Infrastructures and Artistic Heritage, the perfect match

After eighteen months of work, one of the gems of Baroque Rome has been returned to its former glory. The 16th-century church of Santa Maria di Loreto, located in the Trevi district near Trajan’s Column, has been restored and made safe thanks to the Metro C Consortium—led by Webuild and Vianini Lavori—which oversaw the entire project as part of the construction works for Rome’s Metro Line C.

The restoration of this ancient church—carried out under the scientific direction and high supervision of the Special Superintendence of Rome—is part of a series of consolidation and monitoring efforts targeting 15 historic buildings in the Piazza Venezia area, which will be crossed by the new metro line under construction.

For Santa Maria di Loreto, the restoration involved 734 square meters of frescoes and stucco work that can now be admired inside. Special attention was paid to reinforcing the decorative elements of the drum and dome. The structural consolidation of the entire building included the insertion of steel reinforcement chains within the walls and the simultaneous installation of approximately 80 sensors placed across all surfaces of the church, enabling real-time monitoring of any potential structural movement.

Santa Maria di Loreto is owned by the Pio Sodalizio dei Fornai (Pious Bakers’ Association), which was granted permission for worship in 1492 by Pope Alexander VI. Over the centuries, the church underwent significant restoration efforts, such as the one in 1870 overseen by Giuseppe Sacconi—the same architect who, a few years later, would design and direct the construction of the Vittoriano (inaugurated in 1911), the most important monument to Italy’s first king, Victor Emmanuel II. Located in Piazza Venezia, the Vittoriano (also known as the Altar of the Fatherland) later became the resting place of other profoundly significant memorials, such as the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier.

Rome’s Metro Line C—currently operational over a 19-kilometer stretch with 22 stations—represents an infrastructural project of extraordinary value and complexity, not least because its route passes through one of the world’s most renowned historical and archaeological areas, recognized as a UNESCO World Heritage site.

For this reason, the interaction between the metro line under construction and the buildings along its path has been the subject of in-depth analysis, conducted by the companies of the Consortium building the infrastructure and the Engineering Departments of Sapienza University of Rome.

From this analysis emerged an ambitious plan for consolidation and restoration in the Piazza Venezia area, affected by the construction of the future Venezia Station of Metro Line C. Among the buildings included in the project are the majestic 15th-century Palazzo Venezia, which served for centuries as a residence for popes, cardinals, and ambassadors, and the Basilica of San Marco al Campidoglio, founded in the 4th century. Restored multiple times over the centuries, it was rebuilt in its current form in 1468 by Pope Paul II, who made it the church of the Venetian community in Rome.

Construction can also provide an opportunity to recover and safeguard historical heritage. This often occurs in urban redevelopment projects in major cities, as well as in unforeseen events that end up in history books.

One such event is undoubtedly the rescue of the Abu Simbel Temples in Egypt, carried out by the world’s leading construction companies tasked with relocating the 13th-century BC temples of Ramses II. These would otherwise have been submerged by the Nile’s waters due to flooding caused by the construction of the Aswan Dam.

The temples were dismantled, stored, transported, and faithfully reconstructed 65 meters higher and 280 meters further inland, preserving their original orientation relative to the stars and the sun.

This unique undertaking, completed in 1968, involved one of the companies that later merged into the Webuild Group, participating in a global race to safeguard an invaluable historical heritage.

Decades later, Webuild continues to be committed to protecting the treasures of the past. This was recently evident during the construction of Milan’s M4 metro line, which included the recovery of archaeological heritage uncovered during excavations.

While digging for the De Amicis station, sections of the ancient inner Naviglio defensive wall were discovered, later restored and repositioned. Other interventions by Webuild to preserve and enhance historical and archaeological pre-existing structures during the M4 Line works involved the Verziere Column and the Redeemer Statue in Largo Augusto, the Rough Column—discovered during the temporary relocation of the Verziere Column, which had been moved to allow the new line’s construction—the Bust of Cesare Correnti in Piazza della Resistenza Partigiana, the medieval wall in Via Francesco Sforza, and the Monument of the Madonna della Rassegnazione.