A GRANADA schoolboy has been hailed a hero in Italy after unearthing a rare Roman coin that had been buried for 1,800 years.
Little Alejandro, 10, was exploring the ancient ruins of the Palatine Hill on a family holiday when a glint in the dirt caught his eye.
The youngster, described by his mother Vanesa as a ‘little rascal’ rather than a budding intellectual, had been scrabbling in soil softened by recent heavy rains.
What he pulled from the earth was a remarkably preserved coin from the reign of Emperor Aurelian, minted in the 270s AD in what is now modern-day Croatia.
While his mother initially thought he was simply getting his hands dirty, the family’s guide, Raul, quickly realised the ‘little Spanish Indiana Jones’ had found something significant.
A quick photo sent to a numismatic expert confirmed the find, and by the time the tour reached its conclusion near the Colosseum, the authorities were waiting.
Rather than a ticking off for digging in the historic site, the Granada native was met with praise from museum directors and the Italian media.
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The coin, which would fetch €500 on the open market, was handed over to officials as a gesture of honesty.
Vanesa noted that it was simply a matter of principle, comparing the find to discovering an artefact at the Alhambra back home.
In return for his integrity, the family was granted an exclusive tour of the Panoramic Terrace, an area usually strictly off-limits to the general public.
The reward for the young Spaniard did not end there, as he was also granted free admission to the Colosseum for the rest of his life.
“And we were allowed to raid the gift shop for free,” Alejandro added with a grin.
Despite the excitement and the global headlines, the boy remains grounded about a future in the field.
When asked if he plans to swap his violin for a career as a professional archaeologist, his response was a short and definitive ‘No’.
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