Ancient road and skeletons found under McDonald's near Rome

Frattocchie is a village located about 19 kilometres from Rome. In ancient times, the Via Appia, a road that connected the capital of Italy with Capua, ran through there. Historians consider this route one of the greatest achievements of the ancient world, with a significant economic, military, and cultural impact on Roman society.

The remains of the Via Appia have survived to the present day. Fragments of the famous road have been secured and adapted for sightseeing. One section of the ancient route runs through a surprising location—under a McDonald’s restaurant in Frattocchie.

Customers visiting the restaurant are in for a rather eerie attraction. Under the glass floor stretches a view of ancient excavations, which contain three human skeletons made of silicone. Real remains were previously found there, discovered in 2014 when construction of McDonald’s was underway. Builders removed the skeletons and replaced them with synthetic counterparts.

The remains found at the construction site were from the 2nd to 3rd century. For archaeologists, they were valuable research material on ancient burials. Experts, in collaboration with McDonald’s, did a great deal of work to make the underground area visible from the ground level. Thanks to this unusual attraction, the restaurant gained a cult status.

Tourists visiting the McDonald’s restaurant in Frattocchie often record their reactions to the skeletons. This was also the case for an American named Kassidy, whose video from her visit went viral on TikTok.

"People, I'm now in a McDonald’s in Rome," began Kassidy in her recording. She then aimed the camera at the glass floor under which the ancient underground stretched. "This is beneath me. It extends through the interior of the building. Get ready. Here is the body. This is a skeleton in McDonald’s."