When Elias Shama and his Belgian-born wife Martina set about renovating their shop in 1993, they uncovered a network of 2000-year-old clay pipes almost identical to ones found in Pompeii – and then, under the floor, an almost perfectly preserved Roman bathhouse once fed by water from Mary’s Well. The 30-minute tour, which draws you into the excitement of serendipitous discovery, ends with walnut-stuffed dates and coffee.

　　Tours cost 120NIS for one to four people and 28NIS extra per person after that.