Archaeologists working on the Palatine Hill in the heart of Rome have uncovered host of new features and artefacts.

A grotto discovered under the Roman site is thought to have been revered by Ancient Romans as the cave where the city's founding fathers, Romulus and Remus, were suckled by a wolf.

The monuments on the Palatine Hill are crumbling and efforts are underway to preserve them, with large portions of the site currently closed to the public. The hill holds layers and layers of Rome's past, from the remains of huts dating from the eighth century BC to medieval and Renaissance structures.

A 52ft deep cavity stumbled upon by archaeologists underneath the hill revealed a well-preserved vaulted cave decorated with frescoes that may have been the famed lupercale, on which the myth of the founding of Rome is based.

Experts are meeting to discuss the future of the ancient hill, which features imperial homes, monuments and places of worship. Many of the ancient temples and palaces have been under-explored and recent finds include insignia thought to have been owned by the emperor Maxentius, an alabaster and marble tiger and an ancient sewer.

The ornate, decorated halls of the palaces of the first emperor, Augustus, may be opened to tours later this year.