A McDonald's restaurant in Frattocchie, Italy, has been called the 'creepiest McDonald's in the world' after a travel content creator revealed a hidden secret beneath its floorboards. The location, around 12 miles from Rome, features a glass floor that allows diners to look down on an ancient Roman road and skeletons unearthed during construction.
Glass floor reveals Roman ruins
Travel content creator Jordan Egbert recently visited the McDonald's and shared a video showing the glass floor running along the counter where customers order food. Looking down, he spotted a skeleton. 'I just found the creepiest McDonald's in the world,' he said. 'Check this out. At first glance, it looks like a normal McDonald's, right? But then, you come over here, and you see this glass in the floor. Okay, a little bit weird, but whatever. But then, you look down here, and you see what that is?'
Egbert explained that the location is an archaeological site. When the McDonald's was being built, workers uncovered an ancient Roman road, believed to be an offshoot of the Appian Way, one of ancient Rome's oldest and most important structures, thought to be over 2,000 years old. Rather than digging up the road, the decision was made to preserve the ancient site and build the McDonald's above it, with glass in the floorboards so diners can look down on the Roman civilisation below.
Skeletons on display spark debate
In addition to the road, two skeletons were discovered during the dig. 'They also found bodies here, and they decided to leave them and preserve them. Not one, but two. How crazy is this?' Egbert said. 'You could be eating your burger right above and then just have a skeleton right here.'
Workers discovered the ancient site in 2014 when construction began. According to Food Republic, McDonald's agreed to pay an extra $315,000 to make the ruins part of the restaurant rather than halting the project. There is some debate about whether the skeletons on display are the real ones unearthed during the dig or replicas placed there for tourists so the originals could be preserved.
Tourist attraction and fast-food joint
Whether the skeletons are real or not, the location has become both a fast-food restaurant and a tourist attraction. Commenters on Egbert's video called it 'ridiculously cool' and 'fascinating' rather than creepy. One said: 'Not to be controversial, but I think it's very historic and cool.'
Building over ancient artefacts is not uncommon in Italy, especially near Rome. The country is rich in history, and construction teams frequently uncover evidence of ancient Roman life while working on new projects. During the construction of Rome's latest metro line at the Colosseum, which opened last year, so many remnants were unearthed that a museum was created inside the subway stop to display them. McDonald's has been contacted for comment.
