Ancient lost city discovered with drones near famed tourist route: 'Source of great pride'

A UNESCO World Heritage Site, the Appian Way is a roughly 350-mile-long road that runs from Rome to Brindisi.

With some parts dating back as far as 312 BC, the road was one of the most strategically important roads in Ancient Rome - and an unusual remnant of life in antiquity.

Officials said that the ruins were found with the use of drones, as led by a team of experts. The ruins date between the second and first centuries B.C.

The recent excavation "clearly identified the orthogonal layout of the city, with regular street axes and planned blocks based on the model of newly founded Roman towns," according to the statement.

"The findings confirm that Fioccaglia was a structured city equipped with monumental public buildings, reinforcing its historical and strategic role within the Roman road system," the release added.

The technology "made it possible to obtain a true 'X-ray' of the still-buried ancient center, identifying structures through variations in vegetation growth and in the magnetic composition of the subsoil," said Ceraudo.

"The multidisciplinary approach has provided a solid scientific basis for planning future protection and enhancement activities," he added.

Angelo Lanza, the mayor of Flumeri, called the discovery "a source of great pride and a development opportunity for our territory."

"The Municipality is ready to work closely with the University and the Superintendency to ensure that Fioccaglia, a strategic road junction along the Via Appia, becomes a landmark in the historical and cultural offering of inland Campania," he said in the release.