The Unique McDonald's Location With Skeletons Underneath It (It's Actually For A Good Reason)

New construction projects in cities like Rome often unearth ancient ruins. In 2014, in a suburb called Frattocchie, builders discovered a section of Roman roadway dating between the second and first centuries B.C. while laying the foundation of a new McDonald's. Sometimes, when historic artifacts are discovered during projects, they're reburied for continued preservation in the hope that they can be re-excavated in the future. But in Frattocchie, McDonald's sponsored an archeological dig, shelling out around $315,000 to uncover the history beneath the surface.

The excavation made the McDonald's in Frattocchie one of the most unique locations in the world. Three skeletons were discovered in the process and later determined to be men between the ages of 35 and 40 years old who were likely buried there after the road was out of use. Preservationists concluded the roadway was an abandoned diverticulum, or side passage, leading from a villa or estate to the Appian Way — one of the oldest and best-known Roman Highways. 

McDonald's replaced the original skeletons with resin replicas and preserved the 45-meter stretch of roadway beneath the restaurant, where it remains visible through transparent flooring. Anyone can visit the dedicated museum for free to see the preserved ruins. McDonald's has pledged to maintain the site, but the gallery of ancient ruins, skeletons included, certainly makes a burger and fries a little bit Mc-creepy.

The menu is another unique feature of this Roman restaurant. While it features the usual McDonald's favorites like Big Macs, nuggets, and McFlurries, it also serves menu items more commonly found at European locations, including empanadas, espresso, and macarons. The restaurant also offers table service, a drive-thru, an outdoor PlayPlace, and digital ordering kiosks.

The Frattocchie location opened in 2017 and is known as the McDonald's Roma Appia, but it's not the only McDonald's in Italy with a historic element. At Rome's central Termini station, there's a slab of the Servian Wall dating to the fourth century B.C.E. in its dining room.

Although McDonald's is often thought of as a cookie-cutter fast-food chain, some franchises often go out of their way to offer a unique dining experience. Sweden is home to the world's only ski-thru McDonald's, while the world's largest McDonald's in Orlando serves far more than typical fast food, including wood-fired pizza, ravioli with marinara, and fettuccine alfredo. But the McDonald's Roma Appia is, without a doubt, the only location where you can walk across a section of Roman road still marked with cart grooves more than 2,000 years old while enjoying a Happy Meal.