An old fire fighter station underground Trastevere. Just a stone’s throw from Piazza Sonnino, the oldest firehouse is hidden in a corner of Trastevere. The first location of ancient Rome’s firemen, it is called the Excubitorium, from the Latin ex cubare or “sleep outside,” as the Militia Vigilum, the ancestors of our modern-day firemen, did as they watched over the neighbourhood. The barracks date to the end of the second century AD and were brought to light thanks to excavations carried out between 1865 and 1866, which led to the site’s discovery. It is still perfectly conserved at Via della Settima Coorte, 9. The street name, itself a reference to Ancient Rome, reminds us of how Augustus divided Rome into seven cohortes, consisting of about 1,000 men each, who lodged at a barracks, called stationes, and were placed on guard or in detachments known as excubitoria. Trastevere’s Excubitorium is considered a small hidden treasure; deemed by experts as one of the best-conserved sites. The ancient firefighting station is fully 8 meters beneath the road’s surface. A curious feature is that inside it still conserves some of the original graffiti, often dated, and written in the years between 215 and 245 AD. One of them actually reads: “Lassum sum successorem date": "I’m tired; bring in my replacement”. Another graffito helps understand its function: it is the lararium, a sort of chapel to protect the corps of firemen, since the risk was so high – in ancient times even greater than today. We need merely consider the apparel and tools they used: they wore ochre tunics with leather protections; all they had to douse the flames were buckets and blankets soaked with water and vinegar.