Francesco Rutelli said the cave is known as the Lupercale and was worshipped as an Ancient Roman sanctuary, but archeologists had so far failed to locate this place.
According to legend, in the 8th century BC, Romulus and Remus, appearing in Roman mythology as the twin sons of a priestess and Mars, the god of war, were abandoned in a basket and left adrift on the River Tiber.
The river, which was flooded, carried the basket to the grotto at the foot of the Palatine Hill where a she-wolf found and suckled the twins. Tradition relates that Romulus killed Remus over a dispute and founded Rome becoming its first king. The wolf later became one of Rome's symbols.
The archeologists probed the grotto, which is buried 16 meters (52 feet) inside the Palatine hill, with a mini camera taking a number of pictures. They intend to find the entrance to the sanctuary and clear it of soil.
