Archaeological investigations were undertaken as part of the project to restore palazzo Govone-Caratti of late medieval origin. They clarified the building sequence but also opened a stratigraphic “window” in a block that has always been at the centre of Alba, both in Roman and medieval times, situated near the forum area and later the cathedral of S. Lorenzo, which stands on the site of an early Christian Episcopal church. The interventions, which began in 2007, partly concentrated on the cellars and partly in the innermost courtyard of the palazzo, where the construction of an underground garage was planned. The analysis of the building’s foundations (made up of earlier structures of various periods) substantially confirmed earlier proposals regarding the architectural and stratigraphic interpretation of the walls. The earliest nucleus corresponds with the main part of the building, facing onto via Vida. It has a trapezoidal plan defined by a continuous cobblestone foundation with herringbone courses reusing ancient brick/tiles. The plan conforms to the most common building module in 13th century Alba (the chronology is also confirmed by standing architectural elements), only differing in the disposition of the axis which is parallel to the road. During the 14th century another two constructions were added at the western and eastern ends of the building, whose foundations are characterised by relieving arches. The west addition has a porticoed facade.

During the excavation in the inner courtyard, below recent substantial dumps of material, a number of modern structures (floors, pits, tanks, and channels) had almost completely obliterated the late medieval phases. However, the surviving patches of stratigraphy produced graffito pottery and “chicken foot” kiln spacers that confirm the existence of artisan activity in the sector of the 14th century town, as attested by earlier excavations. In the 13th century, the area was occupied by a number of structures, probably connected to the 13th century trapezoidal building, whose foundations had facings of bricks laid alternately as headers and stretchers, which is very unusual in Alba. The underlying earth deposit, dated by ceramic jar fragments to the 10th-11th century, indicated that the area was heavily agricultural. The layer sealed an articulated early medieval sequence that included traces of several buildings: a timber dwelling and other structures with walls in perishable materials that reused the Roman structures as foundations or as a floor make up. The latter structures were part of a Roman building that in its final phase had been robbed and was also used to house artisan activities (attested by a small drain and metal and glass slag). In the full Roman period, the area was in fact part of an insula bordered by the east 2° cardo minore and occupied by a domus. This structure was constituted, as was the usual plan, by a series of rooms around a central open space and datable – also based on the construction technique – to the 1st-2nd century A.D.