Digging deep into the earth, finding the traces of the passage of so many lives, bringing to light architectural remains, objects and work tools, studying and interpreting them, and linking them to other historical sources, such as valuable archive documents – this process has made it possible to write a unique and original history of a Roman city block. In this unique micro-environment, the intermingling of the subsoil and the fabric of the structures surrounding it have created an uninterrupted narrative of the history of a city block in the centre of Rome. The Crypta Balbi is one of a small number of museums in the world that can boast of its origins as a planned research activity involving all fields of knowledge. The works have experimented with original techniques and game-changing methods that continue to serve as an example for the discipline now known as urban archaeology.