This McDonald’s in Italy makes your Big Mac look like an ancient ruin

In Frattocchi, a tiny town on the outskirts of Rome, a McDonald’s restaurant was built on the site of an ancient Roman road after the brand helped preserve it. Gary He/McAtlas

In 2014, during construction at McDonald’s In Italy, workers found an ancient road.
McDonald’s Italia supported restoration work on the road before building a restaurant above it.

From the outside it’s McDonald’s in Italy may seem like an ordinary restaurant, but as you walk past its gates and glass floor, you’ll notice some eerie details, such as three skeletons embedded in the rocks below.

In 2014, workers building a restaurant on the outskirts of Rome stumbled upon ancient roman road.

Such discoveries can usually halt the construction process, but in this case, “McDonald’s integrated the archaeological site into the restaurant’s design, spending about 300,000 euros ($315,000) to enclose the ancient road in its own gallery,” the author wrote. Gary He in his new book”MacAtlas: A Global Guide to the Golden Arches“, which will be released later this month.

The result is what McDonald’s Italia managing director Mario Federico calls “the chain’s first museum-restaurant.”

Global brands and luxury fashion houses have been known to contribute to Italy’s restoration efforts, with Bulgari, Fendi and Tod’s helping to fund work on the Spanish Steps, Trevi Fountain and the Colosseum respectively.

In addition to providing brand visibility, participating in such efforts “is a good example of how the public and private sectors can effectively collaborate in the restoration of cultural heritage,” Federico said. Daily Telegraph.

Here’s a closer look at this one-of-a-kind McDonald’s.

McDonald’s is located in Frattocchi, about 12 miles southeast of Rome.

A McDonald’s with a trail leading to the most famous road of Ancient Rome is located in Frattocchi. Google Maps.

Frattocchi, known in ancient Rome as Boville, is a tiny village in Marino. Italy.

It is part of the Lazio region, which has a population of more than 5 million people.

Frattocchi was once known as an important religious center, but its recent popularity among tourists is partly due to McDonald’s.

Frattocchi was once known as an important religious center, but its recent popularity among tourists is partly due to MacDonald.

The Appian Way was built in 312 BC. It began in Rome and eventually spread to the port city of Brindisi. Today the roads are closed due to the urbanization of Rome. essay/Shutterstock

What is now known as Frattochki was connected to other Italian cities by roads that led to Appian Waywhich was built in 312 BC and is considered the first major highway in Europe.

The Appian Way originally stretched 132 miles between Rome and Capua in Campania, southeast of Rome. Eventually it was spread throughout the country to the port of Brindisi, located near the Adriatic Sea. Today the road is UNESCO World Heritage website.

In 2014, workers building a new McDonald’s discovered a branch road in Frattocchi.

Before the restaurant opened in 2017, McDonald’s collaborated with archaeologists to restore the remains of an ancient Roman road.

A plaque displaying the history of archaeological finds in the observation gallery built under the McDonald’s in Frattocchi. Gary He/McAtlas

At the beginning archaeological researchRome’s archeology office said it had excavated a 150-foot-long road that diverged from the Appian Way.

This section of the road is believed to have been built between the 1st and 2nd centuries BC. News publication Local it was reported that travelers stopped using it three centuries later.

Archaeologists discovered that the trail had become a burial site and contained the skeletons of three men.

McDonald’s donated €300,000 for the three-year restoration, after which the road was incorporated into McDonald’s restaurant design.

Today, visitors can see the ancient road as they walk across the glass floor into the restaurant.

The road that can be seen here is made of local volcanic rocks. The strips of white light above are the glass floor of the restaurant, allowing diners to see into the gallery below. Gary He/Macatlas

To make the road part of the restaurant, McDonald’s built a glass walkway over it. The path begins at the parking lot and extends toward the restaurant, so diners can look down and see the ancient road as they enter.

“While customers enjoy their food, they can look out onto the grounds through the glass floor,” Gary He wrote in McAtlas.

But visitors don’t have to buy food from McDonald’s to see it. Access to the territory is free through a separate entrance behind the restaurant driveway.

Between the stones of the road lie casts of three twisted skeletons, 2,000 years old.

Excavations at this site yielded three skeletons, which were later preserved using resin casting. Gary He/McAtlas

This restored spur is much smaller than the original highway. However, every corner is imbued with gritty historical details, the most eerie of which are skeletons of three adult males built into the rocks.

They were discovered in gutters during excavations and removed. They were then reproduced using resin casts bones.

“The rubber, applied in such a way as not to alter or damage the finds in any way, copied every last detail of the burials,” a McDonald’s Italia spokesman said. Newsweek.

The skeletons on display in the gallery are recreated resin casts.

Above the glass floor you are transported to the present day.

McDonald’s in Frattocchi has a modern design. The photo shows another similar McDonald’s. Sorbis/Shutterstock

With the exception of the glass floor, the restaurant resembles other McDonald’s restaurants. It features electronic kiosks, digital cash registers, a salad bar and light wood accents. It also offers a variety of seating options, from family tables to bar stools.

A McDonald’s Italia spokesperson told Newsweek that the 5,382-square-foot restaurant has 200 seats and an outdoor play area.

It serves such classics as Big Mac and Italian specialties such as the Gran Crispy McBacon.

There is also a McCafe. While diners are placing their orders, they can look down and see one of the skeletons below.

Even when ordering, customers see the ruins underneath this McDonald’s. Gary He/MacAtlas

This place has McCafe integrated into the restaurant. It includes the brand’s traditional hot drinks, as well as some desserts such as pistachio-flavored croissants and McFlurry options.

What sets it apart from other McCafe locations is the glass floor, which gives diners a glimpse into history when they place their orders.

McAtlas author Gary He, who has visited more than 100 McDonald’s around the world, told Business Insider that Frattocchie’s is worth a visit, calling it one of the most unique places he’s ever visited.

He said he was amazed that the restaurant allowed customers to walk along the road and touch everything, including the skeletons. “When I saw it, I thought, ‘Wow, this is wild,'” he said.

McDonald’s and the adjacent archaeological site are open year-round from 7 a.m. to 2 a.m. local time.