In 1983, the Soprintendenza Archeologica of Rome was notified of the existence of ancient underground structures in via Marcella. The remains had probably been discovered already in 1924, during the construction of the house above them.

The Roman complex, located at 5 m below the ground, is composed of five rooms that cover the area beneath the house and the surrounding garden. Its walls, built in brickwork, follow a precise north-south orientation.

In modern times, a staircase was built to connect the underground levels to the house above. As a result, one of the rooms has been extensively altered to the extent that its original layout is now impossible to reconstruct.

Windows, in the form of lightwells, are located on the western side of one room: this type of opening suggests that already in Roman times this part of the domus, probably a cryptoporticus, was located underground.

The walls of four rooms are decorated with paintings in the same Pompeian 4th style, characterized by vertical and horizontal panels outlined by thin colored bands over a plain white background. The northernmost room has no decoration and its walls are covered in white stucco. The choice of light colors was probably dictated by the need to fully exploit the little natural light available.