The 2005 excavation campaign aimed to put in three trenches close to the monument.

Trench I was placed in correspondence to the external western apse of the basilica, in the zone situated north of the latter, crossing the church’s perimeter wall and in proximity to the west flank of the Hellenistic temple’s base. Amongst the evidence attributable to the early structure and the later development of the Italic sanctuary, the presence of a small channel was of particular interest. Made of compact white limestone blocks it ran on a north-west/south-east alignment inside the apse: towards the south it continued below and beyond the apse wall, whilst to the north it was cut and thus interrupted. Adjacent to and parallel with the channel on its western side was a second masonry feature, a continuous line of rough limestone blocks which reappeared north of the basilica’s apse.

Trench II involved an area up against the north-eastern corner of the basilica, where evidence relating to the late antique and early medieval occupation of the site was identified, together with secondary deposits which followed the site’s abandonment. Worthy of note was an in situ collapse, from a large walled structure originally on a north-south alignment built with regular brick courses. It covered another collapse of tiles and imbrices.

Trench III was dug at 20 m south-east of the monument near the Antiquarium. Just below the humus a circular pit was uncovered, the excavation of which revealed that it had been cut into an enormous deposit or dump of votive material, relating to the life and cult practices of the Italic sanctuary.