During the Roman era, large sections of the Venetian Lagoon, now flooded, were accessible by land. Roman artifacts have been found on the islands of the lagoon and in the waterways, but the extent of human population of the lagoon during Roman times remains unclear.

Mapping the bottom of the lagoon using sonar, the scientists found 12 archaeological structures aligned in a northeasterly direction for 1,140 meters in an area of ​​the lagoon known as the Treporti Channel. The height of the structures reached 2.7 meters, and the length - 52.7 meters. Previous surveys of the Treporti Canal have found stones similar to the paving stones used by the Romans in road construction, indicating that these structures may have been aligned along a Roman road.

The researchers also found four more structures up to four meters high and 134.8 meters long in the Treporti Canal. Based on size and similarity to structures found elsewhere, the largest of these structures is considered a potential port facility, such as a dock. Previously collected geological and model data indicate that the road is located on a sandy ridge that was above sea level in the Roman era, but is now submerged in a lagoon.

The findings suggest that there may have been a permanent settlement in the Treporti Canal during the Roman era. The authors suggest that the road may have been connected to the wider Roman road network in the Italian region of Veneto and may have been used by travelers and sailors to travel between the current city of Chioggia and the lagoon of Northern Venice.