Dec. 19 — An entire archaeological city may go up for sale in Italy, according to confidential government documents made public by a leading environmental group. 

Alba Fucens, one of the most important ancient Roman outposts in central Italy, would be sold off along with hundreds of properties in the attempt to raise money, Legambiente, a pressure group opposed to the scheme, warned. 

"The government is landing Italy with a massive mortgage to begin a frenetic season of useless public works. Every state-owned property, without exception, is now at risk," Legambiente said in a statement.

Nestling in a little valley at 1,000 meters (3,200 feet) above sea level, Alba Fucens was built to resemble Rome. Only partly excavated, the city hides treasures such as mosaics, frescoes, sculptures and bronzes, as the exhibition "Alba Fucens Effect," running in the near town of Avezzano, testifies. 

The city, which flourished in the 4th century B.C., boasts remains of a well-preserved amphitheater, a basilica (town hall), a macellum (market), a spa complex and a great sanctuary dedicated to Hercules. 

All this is now on sale for only 40,615 euros (dollars). "This is ridiculous. This site needs to be valued and rediscovered, not sold," Mario Parlati, mayor of Massa d'Albe, the town near the archaeological site, told Discovery News. 

Alba Fucens is in good company in the list published by the "Gazzetta Ufficiale." The 800-page official document lists old barracks and offices, but also jewels such as Palazzo Barberini, a Baroque masterpiece that houses Rome's National Gallery of Art; the 17th century Villa Regina (Queen's Villa) in Turin; and Naples's 16th century Palazzo Bagnara. 

The island of Nisida near Naples, the Tuscan islands of Gorgona and Pianosa, where until recently Mafia bosses were confined; the Castel Porziano forest by the sea near Rome; and 150 acres of coastline on the Costa Smeralda, in Sardinia, could also be for sale. 

Prices range from 5,000 euros (dollars) for a beach in the Tuscan island of Elba to 8 million euros for the natural paradise of Pianosa. 

The operation has been made possible by a law recently approved by Silvio Berlusconi's government. 

The measure enables the transfers of state-owned properties first into a holding company called Patrimonio spa, and then, in view of eventual sales, into a joint stock company called Infrastrutture spa. 

In a statement, Culture minister Giuliano Urbani specified that the list is to be used for accounting purposes in order to have a general view of state- owned real estate and their value. 

"They are simply creating unjustified concern and damage to the country's reputation abroad," he said. But despite the minister's reassuring words, the scheme has raised a tempest of protest, with marches and petitions throughout the country. 

Scholars are also worried. "We are not talking about minor objects, but about, for example, the Roman Imperial Villa Jovis on Capri. 

One thing is to sell crumbling barracks, another thing is to sell monuments and archaeological sites," Elizabeth Fentress, vice president of the International Association for Classical Archaeology, told Discovery News. 

Italian Archaeological Treasures fo -- Discovery Channel -- discovery news 
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