Mirko Curti was chasing his cat through the streets of his village on Tuesday night when the cat inadvertently discovered a set of ancient Roman ruins.

"The cat managed to get into a grotto and we followed the sound of its meowing," Curti told the Guardian.

When he caught up to the animal, it had crawled into an opening in the side of a cliff. Inside the opening, Curti stumbled upon a 2,000-year-old tomb "piled with bones" and ancient Roman urns.

The tomb was discovered just outside a residential area in the Roman city of Via di Pietralata.

Archeologists who were called to the site have speculated that it dates back to sometime between the 1st century B.C. and the 2nd century A.D.

Curti described the discovery as "the most incredible experience" of his life.

The archeologists said that recent rains in the area were likely responsible for exposing the tomb and noted that several other similar discoveries have been made in the area in recent years.