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Archaeologists from Pablo de Olavide University (UPO) have unearthed what is believed to be the oldest structure ever documented at Hadrian's Villa near Rome. The discovery, made during a recent excavation campaign at the Palazzo sector of the UNESCO World Heritage site, sheds new light on the origins of the vast imperial complex built by the Roman Emperor Hadrian. The remarkable find includes a subterranean structure dating back to the Republican era, long before Emperor Hadrian commissioned his grand countryside retreat in the second century AD. According to researchers, these remains likely belong to an earlier villa that was later incorporated into the foundations of the Palazzo, offering a rare glimpse into the site's history prior to its imperial transformation