VILLASOF ANCIENT

ROME

A Z I E N D A D I P R O M O Z I O N E T U R I S T I C A D I R O M A

VILLASOF ANCIENT

ROME

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VILLASOF ANCIENT

ROME

A Z I E N D A D I P R O M O Z I O N E T U R I S T I C A D I R O M A

CONTENTS

INTRODUCTION ........................................................................................... page 3

THE SUBURBAN VILLAS .................................................................... page 5The Villa of LiviaThe Villa of the VignacceThe Villa of the QuintiliiThe Villa of the Sette BassiThe Villa of the GordianiThe Villa of MaxentiusThe Villa of the Christian Flavians

A SPECIAL VILLA: THE DOMUS AUREA ................................................................................. page 17

THE VILLAS OF THE CITY OUTSKIRTS .......................... page 19The Villa of the FarnesinaThe Villa of the LamiaThe Villa of SallustThe Villa of MaecenasThe Villa of AgrippinaThe Villa of Domitia LucillaThe Villa of GallienusThe Villa of the SessoriumThe Villas of the Pincio

GLOSSARY ........................................................................................................... page 33INFORMATION ............................................................................................... page 34

Initially, in ancient Rome, there wasa small domestic garden called a“hortus”, confined in a narrow

space at the back of the house. Thencame the horti, the plural form indicat-ing a greatly extended garden in whichthe house was only a part of an elabo-rate, organic complex consist-ing of different elements, thatwe refer to as a “villa”. Owingto their location outside the old citywalls, villas were formally consideredsuburban residences even though theywere used as town houses or rather asdwellings on the outskirts of the city.They became proper urban residencesat the end of the 3rd century AD, whenthe emperor Aurelian included them inthe circuit of the new city walls. Thevillas were obviously luxurious resi-dences in which to retreat from theconcerns of hectic city life and to sleepsoundly far from nocturnal noises.

They were the ideal place to spendleisure time alternating rest and recre-ation with intellectual activities, toreceive friends and cultivate high rank-ing social connections and to deal withbusiness and political matters in amore relaxed environment.

The favoured locations were those thatmet various requirements: proximityto the “walled” city, availability ofample space, pleasant surroundingsand panoramic views, a supply ofwater, possibly spring water, etc. Thechoice initially fell on the high groundsand slopes of hills, such as those of theQuirinal facing the Campus Martius,the Campus Martius itself, the rightbank of the Tiber and the heights of theJaniculum. The Pincio was soonfavoured as well, and became known

INTRODUCTION

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INTRODUCTION

The main suburban Villas

as the “hill of the villas” for the exten-sion and quality of its buildings..Subsequently attention was directedtowards the external and more periph-eric areas of the Caelian and Esquilinehills that were already partially inhab-ited and included in the circuit of theancient city walls.In villa design, open spaces were veryimportant and skillfully arranged withpaths, flowerbeds, bowers, brooks,fountains and waterworks, andadorned with exedrae, pavilions andstatues. The buildings themselvescould be structured differently: as acompact block, with a main body andprojecting wings, with a closed or opencourtyard, or as individual pavilions.Additional constructions could beadded to the specifically residentialsection and used as baths, libraries,theatre cavae and belvederes. All theseelements were conceived as an organicrational system that always main-tained contact with the outside world.Porticoes and cryptoporticus, exedrae,open galleries and belvedere terraceswere used as elements of passage andconnection, creating an authenticunion of nature and the work of man.The result was a new “landscape”, sep-arated and isolated, fenced off from thesurrounding area.The first villas were built by privatecitizens, members of the great senato-rial families who had accumulated for-tunes with the spoils of war and theexploitation of conquered territories.Building began in the first half of the2nd century BC, but the number of vil-las increased in the period between thedecline of the republic and the rise ofthe empire. The trend lasted for theduration of the empire and is of greatimportance in the urban developmentand history of ancient Rome. In time,the villas surrounded the whole inhab-ited area and formed a single, vast andsplendid ring of “structured greenery”

with the prerogative of “unified prop-erty”. Eventually, in fact, and for dif-ferent reasons (through bequests,acquisition through marriage or con-fiscation), the villas all became imperi-al property.Owing to the progressive “saturation”of available space, most of the newbuildings had to necessarily be locatedbeyond the ring of the “peripheric”horti, in the more distant suburbs,along the arteries of the main roads. Inthe meantime, emperors and membersof the imperial families, the Julio-Claudians, the Severans, the Gordians,Maxentius and Constantine amongthem, also started building villas.These were proper suburban villasthat accentuated every part of thecomplex, starting from the construct-ed areas and with the addition of newor previously undeveloped elements.The perfected structures included thecircus and the hippodrome, an areaequipped for horse-back riding and amanège and, not infrequently, a mon-umental family tomb. Among theinnovations, the most relevant wasthat of the “rotunda”, a building with amain cylindrical body and walls sub-divided into niches and apses coveredwith a dome and a forepart in theshape of a pronaos. The rotunda wasvariously used as a bath, a meetinghall, a living quarter, or even as mau-soleum.The last villas were built in the firstdecades of the 4th century, that alsosaw the first instances of abandonmentor of incipient decay , even thoughrestorations are often documented wellinto the 6th century. The buildings suf-fered further damage during the sack-ing and devastation of the barbarianinvasions, starting from that of Alaricin 410. Their fabulous wealth, the luxu-rious furnishings and splendid decora-tions naturally made the villas “privi-leged” targets for plunder.

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The ancient Roman villas that hadbetter chances of surviving werethose located in the “urban

periphery” and that eventually becamepart of the Campagna romana - theRoman countryside. The areahas only recently been threat-ened and partially absorbedby the monstrous expansion of themodern city. Consequently, especiallyin the southeast section traversed bythe via Appia, the ancient via Labicana,Via Tuscolana and Via Latina, ruins ofgreat villas, still stand sometimesreaching many metres in height. Theyare often situated in the vicinity of thelong arched aqueducts, amidst thegreen fields that have remained virtu-ally untouched by devastating intru-sions. These villas, as their distancefrom the ancient inhabited area indi-cates, all date from imperial times andwhen they were not “incorporated”into to the villas of the “urban periph-ery”, they formed a second and widerring of “structured greenery” aroundthe city. The most important and bestpreserved among them are the mostfamous owing to recent research, exca-vations and restoration. They will bedescribed in the chronological order ofthe main phases of construction andwith the names that are currentlyused.

The Villa of Livia

The villa belonged to Livia Drusilla,wife of Augustus and was situated atthe 9th mile of the via Flaminia (nearthe modern Prima Porta), on highground overlooking the Tiber valley. Itwas commonly known as ad gallinasalbas (“the white hens”) because of aprodigy which according to traditiontook place there. An eagle dropped awhite hen with a laurel branch in itsbeak into the empress’s lap. The laurel

was planted and developed into agrove. After Livia’s death, the villabecame imperial property and wasprobably in use until a late period,since the brick stamps indicate that

restorations took place in the Severanera and again during the reign ofTheodoric.A massive wall with evident counter-forts (still partially identifiable, even at

a distance) ran along the southern sideof the high ground overlooking theriver and supporting the terracing onwhich the villa was erected and thatwas accessible through a side lane of

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Villa of Livia:Fresco, detail(Museo Nazionale Romano-Palazzo Massimo alle Terme)

the Flaminia. Theremains of thebuildings are unfor-tunately in verypoor condition.

Systematic studiesand excavationsbegan in 1863/4with the discov-ery of the famousmarble statue ofAugustus (knownas the Augustus ofPrima Porta), now

on display in theVatican Museums.

The residential sec-tion of the villa wassituated in thewestern area. The

ample, quadrangular free spacetowards the south was probably agarden. The residential area consistedof two sections and had a large cis-

tern and a bath complex at the centre.The cistern was dug out of the tufaand was divided by pilasters intonaves covered by depressed archvaults. The vast bath complex had alarge rectangular hall with two pools(frigidarium) and a series of additional

rooms including the caldarium, alsoprovided with two pools. East of thebaths and connected to them by along corridor, was the first nucleus ofthe residential section as well as themain entrance to the villa. On oneside, a series of rooms, including agreat triclinium, are arranged aroundan atrium with four pilasters. Theother side consists of a what might bea peristyle, around an open porticoedarea with ambulatories and importantrooms. The other residential sectionstood on the opposite side and con-sisted of semi-subterranean roomsincluding a great rectangular hall(11.70 by 5.20 m) preceded by avestibule and with a mosaic floor pat-terned with rows of white cubesagainst a black background. Identifiable as a summer triclinium,this room was covered by a barrelvault decorated with painted stuccocoffers. The walls were completelycovered with the celebrated frescoesrepresenting a flourishing garden sur-rounded by a reed fence and are oneof the most remarkable examples of3rd style Roman wall painting, dat-ing from the end of the 1st century BC. They were removed in 1951 and arenow on display at the MuseoNazionale Romano. During therestructuring of the villa in the firsthalf of the 2nd century AD, otherrooms (including a heated quarterand a latrine) were added above thisresidential nucleus. The walls are insome cases are covered with frescoesor slabs of marble and the floors arein black and white mosaic or poly-chrome marble inlay. Towards thenorthern end, a staircase with tworamps and two small ovens on theintermediate landing, led to a serviceroom, covered with a barrel vault anda skylight at the centre and probablyconnected with the nearby bath com-plex.

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Villa of Livia:The Augustus of Prima Porta

(Vatican Museums)

Plan of the Villa of Livia at Prima Porta

(from Messineo)

The Villa of the Vignacce

The villa was situated at 5th mile ofthe ancient Via Latina, at the end of aside lane that flanked the arches of theAqua Marcia aqueduct, now close tothe via Tuscolana, at the Quadraro. Itwas built in the first half of the 2nd

century AD, maybe by a QuintoServilio Pudente, a wealthy owner ofbrick kilns, even though the survivingstructures show signs of 6th centuryrestorations. The main complex stoodon large terracing, 120 metres inlength, along the modern via Lemonia.Its supporting wall had a continuousseries of counterforts and a niche witha fountain. The large ruins that risefrom the ground belong to the bathcomplex. The most interesting arethose of a large circular hall surround-ed by a series of small chambers ofwhich about a fourth remains. The

surviving half of the dome is one ofthe most ancient examples of the useof adding amphorae to the masonry tolighten the weight. Northwest of thehall there is a rectangular room withan apse and a cross vault. Further onare the remains of a vast rectangularhall with apses, flanked by a corridorand two rooms on each side, the largerrooms have cross vaults, the smallerones barrel vaults. The southern sec-tion of the villa includes a large cis-tern, fed by the nearby aqueduct of theAqua Marcia. It had three rooms onthe lower level, four on the upper oneand two rows of semi-circular niches.Three other water reserves were locat-ed in the western section of the com-plex.In the past the villa underwentunsystematic investigations andexcavations, pilfering and devasta-tion. It has only recently been reor-ganized in part and included in the“Parco degli Acquedotti”- the Park ofthe Aqueducts. The colossal marblehead of Julia Domna is on display in

the “rotunda” of the Vatican Museums,as well as the statue of the Tyche ofAntioch and of Ganymede carried offby an eagle, also in the MuseoChiaromonti, also in the Vatican.

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Villa of the Vignacce:Ruins

Villa of the Vignacce:Parco degli Acquedotti

The Villa of the Quintilii

The villa was located after the fifth mileof the Via Appia. Its identification wasmade possible by the finding of the own-ers’ names stamped on the lead pipes onthe site. The Quintili brothers, SestoCondiano Massimo and Sesto ValerianoMassimo,were members of one of themost important senatorialfamilies at the time ofthe Antonines. Thevilla covered a sur-face of about 1000square metres. Itwas one of thelargest in the out-skirts of the city andits numerous and impos-ing ruins were known in the past as“Old Rome”. In 182 AD the emperorCommodus condemned the Quintilibrothers to death on a false charge ofconspiracy, and the villa became animperial property. The emperorCommodus, who had coveted it somuch, may have resided there himself.Unsystematic investigations and occa-sional excavations were conducted onthe site starting from the mid 1700s.More recent interventions include theliberation and reorganization of the

complex and the creation of an anti-quarium in an old farmhouse (viaAppia Nuova n.1089). The survivingstructures indicate two constructionphases, the first dating from the timeof the original owners, around 150 AD(or slightly before), and the second(preceded by some reconstructionattributable to Commodus) frombetween the end of the 3rd century andthe beginning of the 4th . Documentedrestorations also took place in the 6th

century, during the reign of Theodoric.The complex consists of five nuclei var-iously arranged on irregular land. Thefirst corresponds to a service area thatincludes a large circular cistern, 29metres in diameter, and divided intofive connecting chambers. Another cis-tern of rectangular shape on two levels,was used in the Middle Ages as a foun-dation for the farmhouse known asSanta Maria Nuova. The approach tothe villa on the Via Appia, past struc-tures identifiable as tabernae, consistedof a monumental nymphaeum on two

levels composed of a widesemicircular exedra

with niches and afountain at thecenter. Initiallythe nymphaeumwas separated

from the road by awall that ran along

the traces of an aqueduct(derived from the Anio Novus ).

Subsequently it was given an entrancefacing the road, flanked by twocolumns on high bases and brickpilasters on the sides. In the MiddleAges it was incorporated into a castlethat at first belonged to the Counts ofTuscolo. Substantial remains are stillstanding, including the beautiful log-gia erected by the Astalli between the12th and 13th centuries. Behind thenympheum, in place of the presentlawn, there used to be an enormous

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Villa of the Quintilii:Ruins of the bath complex

Villa of the Quintilii:Cistern

garden which may have had porticoesat least on its main sides. It was 300metres long and, after the demolitionof an earlier boundary wall, almost 110metres wide. The aqueduct thatreached the nymphaeum ran along thesame boundary wall on the southeast-ern side. In later times two “circularpavilions” were added on the southernand western corners. Beyond the gar-den, facing east, there is a rectangularcistern, divided into two chamberswith barrel vaults, that was connectedto the aqueduct by a series of arches,closed in later times. The third nucleusof the villa was located in the northernsection along with the bath complex.Imposing remains of grandiose roomsstill stand, their walls reaching a heightof 14 metres. The first section belongs tothe frigidarium, a rectangular hall withlarge arched windows on two levelsand a cross vault (collapsed), two poolson the shorter sides and a rather wellpreserved polychrome marble floor.The following walls are those of the cal-darium, another great hall, almostentirely taken up by a large pool origi-nally faced with marble. The fewremains by the caldarium belong to a

“rotunda” measuring 36 metres in diam-eter, probably open and used as a pool.The residential area proper was locatedeast of the bath complex and arrangedaround a large courtyard, 36.50 by 12metres, onto which opened a heatedoctagonal hall with a polychrome mar-ble inlay floor, rooms identifiable ascubicoli or bedrooms, a nymphaeumand a place of worship. A lower floorhoused cryptoporticus and serviceareas. The fourth nucleus of the villawas situated on the southeastern sideand consisted of a circus-like structure,or a hippodrome, 400 metres long (and

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Aqueduct Near the Villa of the Quintilii

Villa of the Quintilii:Remains of one of the hallsof the bath complex

between 90 and 115 metres wide) thatwas added in a later phase and provid-ed on one end with a semicircularnymphaeum fed by two cisterns, andsubsequently transformed into a smallbath. Brick stamps in this section indi-cate restorations carried out in the 6th

century. Finally, in the northern cornerof the entire complex, was the “rustic”,productive area of the villa with roomsassigned to the service area and the liv-ing quarters of the personnel.

The Villa of the Sette Bassi

The villa, one of the largest in the sub-urbs, was located at the 6th mile of theVia Latina, corresponding to the mod-ern Osteria del Curato. The peculiarname was already known in theMiddle Ages and may derive from thepopular corruption of the name of apossible owner, Septimius Bassus. Allthat remains today is a complex ofgrandiose ruins that have been onlypartially excavated and investigated inthe past. The villa was built in the 2nd

century AD, at the time of Antoninus

Pius, on the site of a late republican“farm” and a small agricultural village(possibly the pagus Lemonius) thatbecame the “rustic quarter” of thecomplex. It consisted of three main sec-tions, built in successive stages,although over a brief period of timeand according to a unitary project. Theenormous terraced garden at its headmeasured 327 by 95 metres and wassituated 5 metres below the level of thebuildings and bounded by porticoeswith exedrae and belvedere “towers”at the corners. Two nuclei in the north-eastern section faced the two contigu-ous sides of a peristyle. The first to bebuilt was a compact square block (50by 50 metres) with various groups ofrooms opening onto a courtyard or oninterior open spaces, still partially pre-served, with walls more than 10 metresheigh. The second nucleus had a seriesof rooms along the ambulatory of theperistyle and others against the side ofa large, partially open, porticoed hemi-cycle, with its convex facade projectinginto the garden. The third nucleus,more splendid than the others, extend-ed over the entire side at the end of the

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Villa of the Sette Bassi:View

large garden. It stood on substructuresthat made it level with the other twonuclei. The interior contained twocryptoporticus and service rooms.About half of the building was occu-pied by a bath complex. The remainscorrespond to a great hall flanked withsmaller ones and a double row of largewindows on the front (one of the win-dows collapsed during a violent down-pour in 1951). Other buildings stoodapart from the main complex. Themost substantial and visible remainsare those of a small temple, located inthe northeast area. The walls had adouble row of windows preserved upto the base of the barrel vaulted ceiling,externally covered with a sloping roof.East of the large garden there is a cis-tern with a series of niches on the out-side and the interior divided into twosections. The branch of the aqueductthat derived from the Aqua Claudiawith a series of arches ended there. Thevilla eventually became property of theLateran Basilica, perhaps through adonation at the time of Constantine,and was in use until after the end ofancient times.

The Villa of the Gordiani

The complex was situated at the 3rd

mile of the Via Praenestina along bothsides of the road. Nowadays it corre-sponds to the archeological Parco deiGordiani, one kilometer past LargoPreneste (near via Olevano Romano).It is mentioned in the Historia Augustaas one of the most luxurious in the sub-urbs and renowned for its spectacularperistyle composed of 200 columns offour different types of marble.(Carystian green or cipollino, red por-phyry, Phrygian purple and Numidianyellow). The family of the Gordianiprobably owned the villa before someof its members rose to the imperialthrone. Gordian III (238-244 AD), inparticular, enlarged, restored and reor-ganized it. Within the “archeologicalpark”, on the right, among minorruins, are the remains of a large squarecistern dating from the 2nd centuryAD. It is provided with counterforts;the lower floor is divided into twochambers with a supporting function,and the upper level is divided into sixbarrel-vaulted chambers used to store

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Villa of the Sette Bassi:Ruins

water. The most important ruins are onthe left. Besides those of two otheradjoining cisterns (the remains of amore ancient and modest villa fromrepublican times are situated just pastthem and have been filled in againwith earth ), there is the remaining halfof an octagonal hall with a circularupper section. During the Middle Agesit was used to build a tower to whichthe circular pilaster at the centrebelongs. The hall, probably a bath, waserected at the time of the Gordiani. Theinterior contained a series of alternat-ing rectangular and semicircular nich-es and was covered by a dome. Thereare other minor ruins, including thoseof a hall with an apse covered with a“shell shaped” vault that may havealso been part of the bath complex. Thefollowing monument is the mostimposing and is commonly known asTor de’ Schiavi, from the name of thefamily that owned the area in the 16th

century. It is a mausoleum dating from

the beginning of the 4th century AD,after the time of the Gordiani and theapproximately three quarters of it thatremain have the aspect of a large“rotunda”(13.20 metres in diameter); acylindrical drum is provided withround windows in the upper section.The hemispherical dome is not entirelyvisible from the exterior because thedrum is raised above its impost. Theinterior had two floors. The lower,partly underground floor had a ring-shaped ambulatory with a barrel vaultaround a central pilaster and niches inthe side walls in the usual alternation.The upper floor (probably reserved forfunerary cult) had the same alternationof niches and was directly accessiblefrom the outside through a monumen-tal pronaos with four columns. It waspreceded by a flight of steps thatserved as the monument’s “facade”,now entirely lost. The nearby ruins ofa paleochristian basilica (67 by 33metres) also date from the 4th century

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Villa of the Gordiani:The Mausoleum

when the villa was partially reutilized.The characteristic “circus” plan, thetraces of a large burial ground and thepresence of catacombs in the area, indi-cate that the basilica had a funeraryfunction.

The Villa of Maxentius

The villa extended along the AppianWay between the 2nd and 3rd miles,near the tomb of Cecilia Metella. Itsfirst phase must have been in the laterepublican period (1st century BC), asecond phase in the Julio-Claudianperiod, and a third datable around themiddle of the 2nd century AD when itwas probably included in the large“farm” of the so-called Triopio ofHerodus Atticus. The final phase ofconstruction took place underMaxentius ( in the years around 310AD) when the villa became an imperi-al residence. The erection of presti-gious structures such as the “basilica”,the opening of a new monumentalentrance, and the addition of a circusand mausoleum, conformed to ascheme based on the newly affirmedimperial ideology. The residential partrose on high grounds, properly evened

out and adapted with terracing sup-ported, for a length of 115 metres, by acryptoporticus with two parallelambulatories, covered by barrel vaultsand illuminated by small “wolf-mouth” windows. Later on, it wasinterrupted by a group of three rooms,while two panoramic pavilions in theform of towers were added to the twoextremeties. In front of the cryptoporti-cus and thus at the base of the“palace”, there were two nymphaecarved in the rock and at one time rich-ly decorated with mosaics and paint-ings. Above it ran a portico, probablyopen toward the valley, beyond whichrose the “palace”. Several rooms can bedistinguished which were arrangedalong the sides of a great hall with anapse (33 by 19.45 metres), providedwith a heating plant. This was the mostimportant area of the whole complex,apparently a “basilica”, designed forpublic meetings, hearings and cere-monies. In front of it, a few remains ofan atrium can be seen, while on thenorth side there is a long and narrowcistern. East of it an area which was atfirst probably round and covered with

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Villa of the Gordiani:The Mausoleum

Villa of Maxentius:Ruins of the Circus

a vault, may have been part of themonumental entrance to the “palace”.This was connected by a long ambula-tory to the circus, which is the best pre-served and most interesting part of thewhole complex ( and also the best pre-served of all in the circuses of theRoman world). It extends along thevalley, from east to west, for about 520metres, with a maximum width of 92metres. On the short west side delimit-ed by two towers three stories tall (16metres) and rounded on the outside,there were twelve areas (carceres) fromwhich the riding chariots came out,while the main entrance to the build-ing in the form of a large arch openedat the centre. Another arched entrance(“the triumphal entrance”) opened

onto the opposite curved side. Thisand the two long sides were taken upby tiers of seats which rested on avaulted structure and were dividedinto two sections of six tiers each, witha seating capacity of 10.000. The impe-rial tribune consisting of a large rectan-gular space and a rotunda with a domeset against it was situated on the longnorth side. On the opposite side,another tribune was perhaps reservedfor the judges of the races. In the centreof the arena, the “spina”, the longitudi-nal element around which the chariotsraced) is still recognizable. Its length isexactly 1000 Roman feet or 296 metres,and had a series of pools alternatingwith niches and statues. An obeliskwas also placed there, the one

Domitian original-ly erected in theIseo Campense (orrather, in theTemple of the GensFlavia on theQuirinal). Oncerecovered, it wasboldly erected byBernini in 1650 onhis Fountain of theRivers in thePiazza Navona).The third elementof the villa is theso-called Tomb ofRomolus, after theson of Maxentiuswho died in 309AD and wasburied there. Inactual fact, thiswas a dynasticm a u s o l e u mintended for thewhole imperialfamily. It waserected at a shortdistance from theVia Appia and

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Villa of Maxentius:Plan and reconstructive

section of the Tomb of Romolus

(from Rasch).

aligned with it, at the centre of a largequadriportico (108 by 121 metres). Itconsisted of a circular building preced-ed by a projecting structure or pronaos,similar to that of the Pantheon (substi-tuted in the 19th century by a still exist-ing farm house) with six columns andsteps in the front The “rotunda”, par-tially preserved (diameter approx. 33metres) had two stories the first ofwhich consisted of a ring–shapedambulatory with barrel vaults arounda central pilaster (diameter 7.50metres). Two entrances set against eachother, and six niches designed to housethe sarchopagi, were illuminated by“wolf-mouth” windows. The upperstory had an area (now completelylost) originally covered with a giganticdome and destined for the funeral cult.Adjacent to the east side of the quadri-portico are the concrete remains of thenucleus of an older sepulchre (perhapsfrom the beginning of the Augustan

age) known as the Tomb of theSemproni, which was incorporatedinto the mausoleum of Maxentius.Beyond the north corner of the samequadriportico, several rooms withpools faced with marble belonged tothe baths of the villa.

The Villa of the ChristianFlavians

In antiquity the site was indicated withthe name of ad duas lauros (“the twolaurels”). At the time of Constantine(founder of the dynasty of the secondor Christian Flavians) it was part of theimmense imperial properties that alsoincluded the Severan villa “of OldHope” and extended without interrup-tion from the area of Santa Croce inGerusalemme to most of the southernsuburb between the Via Praenestina, ViaLabicana (modern Casilina) and Via

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Villa of Maxentius:Towers of the carceres of the Circus.

Latina (modern Tuscolana), up to thefoot of the Alban hills. In particular, thenucleus of buildings known by theancient name, was located on the siteof the former airport of Centocelle,between the modern via Casilina andvia Papiria. During the construction ofthe airport, around 1925, numerousruins above ground (that during theMiddle Ages gave rise to the toponymCentumcellae) and those that reached acertain depth underground, weredestroyed. All the rest, buried belowthe runways, “reappeared” almostmagically in pictures taken from the airin 1953 that clearly revealed the practi-cally intact planimetry of the villa.Regular excavations on the site havebeen conducted only recently, alsorevealing a bath complex and residen-

tial structures in viaPapiria. The villa hadan extremely regularstructure with differ-ent constructionsside by side and var-iously arranged atthe sides of a central“body” composed ofan enormous peri-style surrounded byseveral rooms. Anintermediate atriumconnected it to alarge hemicycle, visi-bly projecting fromthe outside wall. Thebath “quarter” wassituated in the leftsection. A long cov-ered ambulatorydeparted from it in aperpendicular senseflanking a vast areawhich was probablya garden. The sec-tion on the right,developed aroundtwo or three open

spaces, was more strictly residential.It was connected to a portico with asmall temple at the centre (or a sepul-chre in the shape of a small temple),while two round, domed mau-soleums were instead detached andseparated from each other. Anothersection of the vast estate housed themausoleum of Helen, in the custom-ary type of the domed “rotunda”. Thepresence of amphorae in the masonryto lighten its weight is at the origin ofthe popular name Torpignattara thatwas later extended to the area wherethe monument was located, along themodern via Casilina, the ancient ViaLabicana. The villa was also the site ofthe execution in 445, of the emperorValentinian III, son of Galla Placidia.

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Villa of the Christian Flavians:Remains of the Mausoleum

of Helen

Nero’s Domus Aurea is a par-ticular case: a proper urbanvilla situated right in the

heart of Rome, to the point that apasquinade claimed that the entire citywould be “transformed into a singlegreat domus”. It extended for 80/100

hectares from thePalatine to theCaelian hill, from the Velia to theEsquiline. At the centre, in the valleylater occupied laterby the Colosseum,there was a largelake that Suetoniusdescribed as similar toa “sea, surrounded byporticoes and buildingsas if it were a city”. Thelake received waterfrom different sourcesbut mostly from theCelimontano aque-duct that also fed themonumental fountainobtained by modify-ing the outer wall ofthe eastern side of theTemple of Claudiuson the slope of theCaelian hill (along themodern via Claudia) with great nichesand a colonnaded facade. Suetoniouswrote that around the lake “therewere cultivated fields, pastures,vineyards, woods and a multi-tude of domestic and wild ani-mals of every species”. Thebuildings consisted of differ-ent complexes that werenonetheless connected amongthemselves. A large porticoedvestibule was located on thesummit of the Velia. At itscentre was a colossal bronze

statue of the Sun with the features ofNero, 35 metres tall. The section onthe Palatine that Nero had adaptedbefore the fire of 64 AD (that eventuallyallowed him to build the rest) wasmeant to connect the imperial proper-ties on the Palatine to those on the

Esquiline thatcorresponded

to the former villa of Maecenes. Forthis reason the complex was called

Domus Transitoria , that is “of passage”.It was rebuilt after the fire and its

scarce remains are now belowthe structures of the palace ofDomitian, built later. Theremains include a large cir-

cular hall initially coveredwith a dome and located in a

rectangular basin which maycorrespond to one of the cena-

tiones, or banquet halls men-tioned by Suetonious.Finally, the Oppian hill was

excavated and terraced so that

A SPECIAL VILLA:THE DOMUS AUREAA

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A SPECIAL VILLA:THE DOMUS AUREA

Domus Aurea:The “Hall of the Masks”

Marble head of Nero

the architects Severus and Celer couldraise the main building that extendedfrom east to west for almost 300 metresand with a maximum depth of 60metres. This section was raised on atleast two levels and had an open por-ticoed facade along the southern sideoverlooking the lake. It consisted ofthree different nuclei between twolarge rectangular peristyles and on thesides of two large pentagonal twincourts. The different nuclei were inter-connected by the porticoed facade andby long cryptoporticus along theentire north-facing side that alsoserved as an “interspace” for the exca-vated hill. Each nucleus housednumerous rooms with different floorplans and uses, arranged in a regularlayout. A great octagonal hall, stillperfectly preserved and situated atthe centre of the entire complex, wassurrounded by a ring of other rooms.

The dome was placed directly abovethe octagon, without “pendentives”.The hall is commonly identified withthe cenatio rotunda that according toSuetonious rotated “on itself day andnight, like the world”. This seems toindicate the presence of a hydraulicball-bearing mechanism. Suetoniousadds that “in the rest of the constructioneverything was covered with gold andadorned with gems and mother of pearl;the ceilings of the banquet halls had mov-ing ivory panels with holes through whichflowers and perfumes were scattered… thebath rooms had sulphurous water and seawater”. This information sheds lighton Nero’s exclamation on occasion ofthe inauguration of his new abode,still largely incomplete at the time :“Finally I can start living like a man!”.All this magnificence had a short life.A few years later, in June of 68, afterthe death of the emperor and the trou-bled months of civil war that fol-lowed, Vespasian reduced the size ofthe gigantic complex. He divided andpartially dismantled it “to return tothe city what had been taken from it”.The lake was consequently drained inorder to erect the Colosseum in itsplace, while the building on theOppian hill, perhaps only brieflyinhabited by Titus before he succeed-ed his father, was abandoned. Thecomplex was later seriously damagedby fire and eventually interred andused as a “foundation” for the greatbaths that Trajan built on the Oppianhill.

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The urban area occupiedby the Domus Aurea

Domus Aurea:Entrance for visitors

Domus Aurea:Plan of the main

building on the Colle Oppio

Not much is left of the great vil-las of the city outskirts, sweptaway by historical events or

erased by urban development andtransformation. Of many there are onlymemories or at the most the possibilityof identifyingtheir locationthrough quo-tations in ancient sources. Others haveleft “monumental” traces, almost with-out exception suffocated in the oppres-sive embrace of the modern city. Stillothers have survived only in scatteredand heterogeneous elements of archi-tectural structures or decorations nowon display in museums.The Villa of Scipio no longer exists. Itwas probably located on the slope ofthe Quirinal hill facing the CampusMartius, more or less where the largoMagnanapoli is today. Nothing is leftof the Villa of Pompey later of MarkAnthony, that must have been in theheart of the Campus Martius, in thearea nowadays included between theMonte Giordano and Campo de’ Fiori.The magnificent Villa of Caesar inTrastevere, on the slopes of theJaniculum towards the via Portuensisand the river, is also irretrievably lost.It was here that Cleopatra and her sonCaesarion resided between 46 and 44BC, and where Caesar in 45 BC offeredlavish banquets to thousands of gueststo celebrate his triumph.Nothing remains of the neighbouringVilla of Mark Anthony, perhaps aroundthe area of today’s piazza SanCosimato. The same fate overtook theVilla of Agrippa that occupied the sec-tion of the Campus Martius betweenthe Pantheon and the Tiber and includ-ed a small wood (in the area whereDomitian built his Odeum, close topiazza Navona). The Villa of AsinioPollone on the Appian Way whereCaracalla erected his great baths, isalso lost.

Nothing is left of the villas of the twofamous and wealthy freedmen ofClaudius and Nero, Pallante andEpafrodito, that rose on the highground of the Esquiline, east of themodern piazza Vittorio Emanuele. The

Villa of Domitia (perhaps DomitiaLongina, wife of Domitian) was locat-ed on the right bank of the Tiber, in thearea later occupied by the mausoleumof Hadrian, now Castel Sant’Angelo,but nothing remains.

The Villa of the Farnesina

Considerable sections of the wall andceiling decorations in fresco and stuc-co, belonging to different rooms of theVilla of the Farnesina, are now on dis-play in the Museo Nazionale Romano,at Palazzo Massimo. The villa itself

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Villa of the Farnesina:Wall with fresco in “cubicle B”

rose on the right bank of the riverTiber, in correspondence to the 16th

century villa of the same name. Thesubstantial remains of the building -commonly known as the “Farnesina”-were found and partially excavatedbut then reinterred or destroyed,around 1880, during the constructionof the embankments of the river.Datable from the second half of thefirst century AD, the villa was initiallyattributed to Clodia, sister of the trib-une Publius Claudius and celebratedby Catullus with the name of Lesbia.At present, it seems more likely thatthe occasion for its construction wasthe marriage of Agrippa to Julia,daughter of Augustus, in 19 BC. Thepainted decorations, full of motifs andreferences to recently conqueredEgypt, certainly date from that time.The villa was not used for long andwas in fact abandoned owing to theconstant devastating floods of theTiber. As far as it is possible to estab-lish, it had a main centralbody in the shape of a hemi-cycle with the convex side fac-ing the river and two symmet-rical structures on the sides.These had a loggia also over-looking the river and wereconnected by a long crypto-porticus that opened onto alarge room aligned with thehemicycle and symmetricallyflanked by minor chambersprobably arranged aroundtwo courtyards. The wallpaintings are many and wellpreserved. They featuremonochrome surfaces withinarchitectural “frames”, con-sisting of extremely slenderelements and small pictures atthe centre. Or else they repre-sent complex and sceno-graphic architectural parti-tions that seem almost to open

at the centre, as if from a window, ontogreat paintings of classical inspiration,flanked by genre scenes. The accessorydecoration is also remarkable. It is exe-cuted with masterly skill and made upof minute elements (threadlike cande-labra, foliage, garlands, acroteria, fig-urines of caryatides and winged victo-ries) or “miniaturistic” figurativefriezes placed above the wainscottingadorned with geometric and vegeta-tive motifs. The signature of Seleukos,a Syrian-Greek painter, is still visibleon one of the walls.

The Villa of the Lamia

The remains of the Villa of the Lamiaare also preserved in a museum. Theycomprise a remarkable group of stat-ues found in excavations in the area ofthe villa in 1874, and now in theCapitoline Museums. The most signif-icant are the Anadiomene Venus

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Villa of the Lamia:Bust of Commodus

as Hercules between two Tritons

(Capitoline Museums)

(known as Esquiline Venus) and tworelated female figures, a recumbentDionysus and a portrait ofCommodus as Hercules between twobusts of Tritons. There is also a splen-did floor inlaid with alabaster alongwith elements of architecturaldecoration in gilded stucco andother sumptuous decorationswith gilded bronze friezesstudded with gems and preciousstones. The villa, created at theend of the 1st century BC byElio Lamia, stretched over theplateau of the Esquiline that corre-sponds to the area south of thepresent piazza Vittorio Emanuele.At the time of Caligula, who wasbriefly and secretly buried thereafter his assassination in 41AD, it had alreadybecome imperial proper-ty. Nero is likely to haveincluded it in theDomus Aurea complex.Numerous remainsfound during thebuilding boom of thelate 1800s, weredestroyed or rein-terred. The ruinsbelonged to different

structures scattered amidst the green-ery and adapted to the elevation of theterrain. The strictly residential sectionwas situated between the modernpiazza Vittorio Emanuele, piazzaDante and via Emanuele Filiberto. The

complex included porticoes, crypto-porticus, baths, cisterns and agrandiose “nymphaeum” shaped

like the cavea of a theatre (95metres in diameter), closedby a long portico and served

by a complex hydraulic sys-tem.

The Villa of Sallust

The “monumental” ruins ofhalf a dozen villas have sur-vived in varying conditions of

preservation and visibility. TheVilla of Sallust (Horti Sallustiani)

is the first among them, also forchronological reasons. The com-plex was created by the historian

Gaius Sallustius Crispus after 44BC and extended over the wide,deep valley between the Quirinal

and the Pincio (the areaincluded today between the

Aurelian walls, via Veneto,

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Area of the Villa of theLamia on the Esquiline

Villa of the Lamia:“Venere Esquilina”(Centrale Montemartini)

via Venti Settembre and via Piave) witha stream, the Aqua Sallustiana, flowingthrough it. The valley was entirelyfilled in at the end of the 1800s. The

villa probably becameimperial property

at the time ofTiberius. It wase n l a r g e d ,embell ishedand restoredespecially by

Hadrian in the2nd century AD

and probably again byAurelian in the 3rd century.

It was the favorite resort ofnumerous emperors besidesHadrian and Aurelian,including Nero, Vespasian,and Nerva who died there in

January of the year 98 AD. Works ofart found on the site are evidence of

the magnificence of the villa andinclude the famous “Ludovisi

throne”, the “acrolith” (a colossalstatue of a female goddess) also knownas Ludovisi, the Niobe and probablythe Dying Gaul and the Gaul commit-ting suicide. The obelisk found there

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Villa of Sallust:Plan of the central building

Villa of Sallust:Ruins in Piazza Sallustio

too, was almost certainly erected byAurelian. It was recovered in 1735 andafter being transported to the Lateran,was placed in front of the church of theSS. Trinità dei Monti by pope Pius VI in1789. The villa always remained one ofthe most celebrated and admired in thecity but it was almost entirelydestroyed during the “sack” of theGoths led by Alaric who entered intothe city through the nearby Salariagate. The imposing remains of whatmust have been the main edifice arevisible today at the centre of piazza

Sallustio, up to 35 metres below thestreet level. The different sections ofthe villa alternated with vast greenareas. The main edifice was complete-ly reconstructed at the time Hadrian.It appears to be developed on two lev-els around a large rotunda of the diam-eter of 11.20 metres, and a “shell-shaped” vault. The walls had nichesthat were originally covered with awainscotting of marble slabs and stuc-co in the upper sections. The hall ispreceded by a vestibule and flankedby two rooms (maybe nymphaea). Atthe far end, past a room that was sym-metrical to the vestibule and had twoniches in the walls,there was alarge rectan-gular hallwith a smallapse, a barrelvault andtwo smallerc h a m b e r son the sides.Other remainsof the villa are vis-ible within the confinesof the American Embassy (part of acryptoporticus with wall paintings)and in via Lucullo (section of wallwith niches). The villa probably alsoincluded the large cistern dating fromthe age of Hadrian composed of fourparallel, communicating naves. It isnow in the basement of the German-Hungarian College in via S.Nicola daTolentino.

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Villa of Sallust:The Obeliskof Trinità dei Monti

Villa of Sallust:Relief with the birth of Aphrodite, known as “Trono Ludovisi”(Museo Nazionale Romano –Palazzo Altemps)

Villa of Sallust:The Dying Gaul(Capitoline Museums)

The Villa of Maecenas

The Villa of Maecenas (HortiMaecenatis) also survives in monumen-tal ruins. The area had been previous-

ly occupied by the ancientcemetery of the city,

almost entirely aban-doned and inextremely badrepair. The villawas built on theEsquiline after thegreat works ofreclamation thatMaecenas himselfpromoted around30 BC. Theseinvolved theinterment of thecemetery and theleveling of theembankment ofthe republicanwalls (that werepartially disman-

tled and partially incorporated intothe new structures) and led to thetransformation of the high ground ofthe hill, past the crowded neighbour-hoods, into a continuous series ofsplendid villas. The Villa of Maecenaswas inherited by Augustus andbecame the residence of Tiberius, notyet emperor, on his return from thevoluntary exile in Rhodes, in 2 AD.Nero later incorporated it into theDomus Aurea. All that remains is avast half buried hall, 10.60 by 24.40metres, accessible by means of a slop-ing ramp. When found and excavatedin 1874 at the centre of today’s largoLeopardi, it was named “auditoriumof Maecenas”. It is more accurate to callit a nymphaeum or better still, a sum-mer triclinium. It was located at the cen-tre of a group of residential buildings,partially uncovered during excavationsand then demolished. In agreement

with the excavations, it can be assumedthat the triclinium was the meetingplace of the circle of poets and men ofletters that Maecenas had gatheredaround him and that included, amongothers, Virgil, Horace, Cornelius Gallusand Propertius. The six rectangularniches along the longer walls werefrescoed with trees and fountainsbehind fences, creating the illusion ofwindows opening on a garden. The farend wall was entirely occupied by anexedra, with five niches in the uppersection and six wide concentric stepsin the lower section that formed a kindof theatre cavea. Water came out ofholes in the walls (closed in latertimes) and flowed down marble-cov-ered steps with the effect of a water-fall. The opposite side of the hall prob-ably had a door at the centre, flankedby windows overlooking the viewtoward the Alban hills. The upper sec-tions of the longer sides above theniches and the section of the exedrabelow the niches, were entirely fres-

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Plan of the Auditoriumof Maecenas

Auditorium of Maecenas:Fresco (detail)

coed with a low frieze representingDionysian and genre scenes against ablack background, surmounted byvermilion red areas adorned withfoliage motifs. The original mosaicfloor had very fine tiles and a doubleframe in encaustic painting. In latertimes it was substituted with slabs ofmarble.

The Villa of Agrippina

The fortuitous discovery of remains ofthe Villa of Agrippina (HortiAgrippinae) in August of 1999, in thecourse of the construction of a parkinglot in the Janiculum,filled the localnewspaperswith heatedpolemics onthe eve ofthe Jubilee ofthe year 2000.The villa belongedto Agrippina, the daughter of Agrippaand Augustus’ daughter Julia, who

married Germanicus and became themother of the emperor Caligula. Thecomplex stretched over various “ter-races” on the right bank of the Tiber,between the river, the Janiculum andthe Vatican Field. It developed in par-ticular on the northern extremity ofthe high ground known in moderntimes as Collina di Santo Spirito- Hillof the Holy Spirit, now occupied bythe complex of the “De PropagandaFide” College (College for thePropagation of Faith). At his mother’sdeath in 33 AD, Caligula inherited thevilla and built a circus, later known asthe “circus of Gaius and Caligula”, onthe northern boundary of the property

(in the area thattoday extends

from piazzaSan Pietro pastthe VaticanB a s i l i c a ) .

Caligula had anobelisk brought

from Egypt in 37AC and placed on the spina of the cir-cus. It was still standing in 1586 (on

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Auditorium of Maecenas:Interior

Roman coinswith the effigiesof Agrippina and Caligula

the side of the Sacristy of St. Peter)and then moved to the centre of thepiazza San Pietro. The villa laterbecame the property of Nero, whoopened it to give refuge to the peoplewho lost their homes in the fire of 64AD. It also became the site of the mar-tyrdom of the apostle Peter and of theChristians whom Nero blamed for thefire.Numerous remains unearthed in thearea since the mid 1700s and attrib-uted to the Villa of Agrippina haverarely been preserved (for example,beneath the hospital of Santo Spirito).The remains found in 1999 (and par-tially destroyed) belonged to variousrooms with plastered walls frescoedin the so-called Fourth Style (whitebackgrounds, slender stylized archi-tectural elements on different levels,small genre paintings of fantasticsmall figurines, little birds, and floralmotifs), dating from the 2nd centuryAD.

The Villa of Domitia Lucilla

The numerous and scattered remainsof buildings discovered between 1959

and 1964 in the area of the square andthe hospital of Saint John Lateran havebeen attributed with near certainty tothe Villa of Domitia Lucilla, mother ofMarcus Aurelius, who was born there.The complex, consisting of variousstructures dating between the 1st and4th centuries AD has been the object ofcontroversial interpretations andhypotheses. In particular, below theCorsia Mazzoni of the Hospital, thereare rooms probably corresponding to abath complex, and a peristyle with apool at the centre that was later substi-tuted with a section of wall. Marblereliefs representing the Temple ofVesta and the Vestal Virgins (alsofound during the excavations) mayhave belonged to it. It is thought to bethe original base of the equestrian stat-ue of Marcus Aurelius that was locatedin this area before being transferred tothe Capitoline to 1538. The villa wasmost likely inherited by MarcusAurelius and then by his sonCommodus, thus becoming imperialproperty.

The Villa of Gallienus

The imposing ruin of the so-calledTemple of Minerva Medica, by theStazione Termini, along the via Giolitti,in correspondence to via P. Micca, iscommonly indicated as monumentalevidence of the Villa of LiciniusGallienus, emperor from 260 to 268AD. Nonetheless, a very recent studyattributes the monument- that proba-bly dates from the era of Constantine-to the nearby villa of “Old Hope”.Known by the modern name of HortiLiciniani, the villa of Gallienus musthave been on the highest part of theEsquiline, included today between thechurch of Santa Bibiana and PortaMaggiore, at one time occupied by aburial ground, later reclaimed. Ancient

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Villa of Domitia Lucilla:Equestrian statue

of Marcus Aurelius at the Campidoglio

sources describe it as being such a vastcomplex that the whole court couldfind lodgings when the emperorresided there. The construction of theAurelian walls left out a large part of it.As far as the Temple of Minerva iscorcerned, it was actually a large hallused as living quarters, for meetingsand for business. It was partially heat-ed in the winter and later made morepleasant in the summer with the addi-tion of two large exedrae, opposite oneanother and with fountains. The hallappears decagonal on the outside andcircular inside (25 metres in diameter).The walls, covered at one time withmosaics and slabs of porphyry, are sub-divided into a series of deeply recessedniches. Ten large, arched windowsopened above them. The hall was cov-ered with an “umbrella vault” at amaximum height of 33 metres, at leastpartly covered with mosaics. It col-lapsed almost entirely in 1828. Theniches contained statues, some of

which have been found on differentoccasions, along with other statues,columns and capitals. The mostremarkable are those dating frombetween the end of the 4th and the

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Villa of Gallienus:Planimetry of the complex of the Temple of Minerva Medica

Villa of Gallienus:Temple known as “Minerva Medica”

beginning of the 5th century AD, nowpart of the Capitoline Collections. Theyrepresent two magistrates wearingtheir togas about to launch the mappathat marked the beginning of the char-iot races in the circus.

The Villa of the Sessorium

The villa known as “Old Hope” (HortiSpei Veteris) still survives in significantruins. The peculiar name comes froma toponym that in turn derived fromthe ancient Temple of Hope, built inthe first half of the 5th century BC inthe area traversed by the Via Labicana

and later famous for the presence ofthe Porta Maggiore. After the 4th cen-tury AD, it was also indicated with thename Sessorium, probably from sedes,in the sense of “residence”. The con-struction began under Septimius

Severus, continued under Caracallaand was completed in the first decadesof the 3rd century AD by Elagabalus. Itfell into disuse after his death in 222and was partially damaged by the con-struction of the Aurelian walls eventhough the circuit was designed toinclude it. The villa was brought tonew life with substantial buildingactivity at the time of Constantine,when his mother Helen chose it as herresidence. The villa was frequenteduntil the early 5th century AD. In latertimes it was abandoned and thenbecame in part property of the Church.Among the more or less substantialruins that have survived, the most

important is thegreat palatine hallthat Helen trans-formed into theBasilica Jerusalemthat later becameSanta Croce inGerusalemme. Therectangular hall(36.50 by 22 metresand 22 in height)was originally openon all sides with aseries of arches onpilasters surmount-ed by a row of win-dows and theentrance was on oneof the long sides.When it was trans-formed into achurch, the hall wasisolated from therest of the palaceand every connec-tion closed off. The

hall was given an apse on one of theshort sides (the entrance was trans-ferred to the opposite short wall) anddivided internally into three spanswith transversal, open walls witharches on columns or pilasters. It was

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Basilica of Santa CroceIn Gerusalemme

enriched by a smaller nave that wasobtained by incorporating a side corri-dor. By the church, that now has theaspect of the 18th century restructur-ing, in the area of the Museo Storicodei Granatieri, there are the remains ofa sumptuous hall with an apse.Nothing remains instead of the baths,built at the beginning of the3rd centu-ry AD, destroyed by a fire and rebuiltby Helen between 323 and 326 AD andthus known as Terme Elenianae. Thebaths stood in the area now traversedby via Sommeiller . Their substantialremains were dismantled at the timeof pope Sixtus V during the buildingof the via Felice (today via Santa Crocein Gerusalemme). At a brief distancethere is a large cistern composed of

two parallel rows of six connectingchambers, the remains of which can beseen at the intersection between viaSommelier and via Eleniana. In thevicinity of the hall converted into achurch there is a small “court”amphitheatre connected to the hall bymeans of an open corridor 300 metreslong (of which some traces remain).The amphitheatre became known as“castrense”; perhaps when the villawas abandoned it was used by thenearby barracks of the equites singu-lares, the imperial equestrian guard.

Almost circular in plan, with the twoaxes of 88 and 75.80 metres, theamphitheatre had two levels of arches

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The Castrense AmphitheatreIn the scale model of ancient Rome(Museo della Civiltà Romana)

Castrense Amphitheatre:Ruins incorporated in theAurelian Walls

Castrense AmphitheatreIn an engraving by Du Perac(16th century)

on pilasters framed by Corinthiansemi-columns on the first level andpilasters on the second. Above thiswas a filled-in wall with windowshaving travertine brackets to fastenthe poles that held the fabric of the“velarium”. At the time of Aurelian,the amphitheatre was incorporatedinto the new city walls with the clos-ing of the arches involved and thelowering of the external level byroughly two metres. This guaranteedthe preservation of three quarters ofthe perimeter of the building, espe-cially around via Nola and vialeCastrense. Much less remains insteadof the circus built by Elagabalus (wholoved riding chariots in it personally)that was named Circus Varianus, fromthe emperor’s proper name, VarioAvito. The circus extended for about500 metres parallel to the nearby ViaLabicana (modern via Casilina), withthe longitudinal axis more or less cor-responding to the modern via Acirealeand via Oristano, and the curved sidelocated past via Ozieri. The “spina”

was adorned by the obelisk thatHadrian had dedicated to Antinous(probably on the Palatine, in the gar-dens of the Adonea). The obelisk wasfound, collapsed, in the 1600s and wasinitially transported to PalazzoBarberini, then moved to the Vatican,and finally erected in the Pincio gar-dens by pope Pius VII in 1882. The cir-cus was abandoned when theAurelian walls cut it in half, leavingtwo thirds of it outside of their circuit.The remaining part inside the wallswas used in different ways and sub-stantial ruins have recently beenbrought to light during excavationsbehind the basilica of Santa Croce.

The Villas of the Pincio

Ancient sources mention various villasbut in most cases the names changeaccording to the succession of owners,such as the villas of the Domitii, theAcilii, the Anicii and finally of thePincii, the family who bought most of

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The Aurelian Walls In Viale Castrense

the hill in the 4th century AD and afterwhom it was named. In any case, themost ancient villa, as well as one of themost ancient in Rome, was theone created in the 1st centuryBC by Lucius LiciniusLucullus (Horti Luculliani)who built it with theproceeds from thespoils of the waragainst Mithridates.The villa extended forabout 20 hectares onthe summit of the hilland over two of thewestern slopes. Themain section stood inthe area included todaybetween Trinità dei Montiand Villa Medici. It wasinherited by the son ofLucullus (who must have com-pleted it) and then ceded to MarcusValerius Messalla Corvinus, an illustri-ous figure of the Augustan era. In 47AD, the villa belonged to ValeriusAsiaticus who was accused of conspir-acy against Claudius and forced tocommit suicide. It consequently became

the residence of Messalina, who haddone everything she could to acquire itbut who enjoyed it for only a few

months because she was assassi-nated a year later. When the

emperors started favouringthe more comfortable and

splendid Villa of Sallust(also for security rea-sons owing to its prox-imity to the barracksof the pretorianguard), the villa musthave been sold to pri-vate citizens, perhapsat the time of Trajan. Inthe 2nd and 3rd cen-

turies it must have beenthe property of the Acilii

Glabriones . Between the 4th

and 5th centuries it belongedto the Anicii and then to the Pincii,

but after the sack of Rome in 410, itbecame imperial property once more.At the beginning of the 6th century kingTheodoricus ordered the spoliation ofthe villa but in the same century it wasused again as a residence by theByzantine general Belisarius.

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Plan of the Horti Luculliani

Bust of Lucullus

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Today almost nothing visible is left,but what was seen in the past, whatremains below the structures and thegardens of the Villa Medici and theConvent of the Sacred Heart at Trinitàdei Monti, and what has been found inrecent excavations, not yet completed,allows us to “reconstruct” the mainfeatures of the villa and its overallstructure. The complex was developedwith a series of “terraces” connectedwith ramps of steps facing theCampus Martius and the course of theriver Tiber. Its most renowned elementwas on the summit of the entire com-plex and consisted of an imposingcurvilinear structure (almost 200metres in diameter) that cov-ered the entire area includedbetween the Villa Medici andTrinità dei Monti. It probablyhad porticoes and was sup-ported by a massive terracedwall (still partially visible inthe 1500s). The structure iscommonly identified with the“Nymphaeum of Jupiter”,mentioned by sources and per-haps dating from the period inwhich the villa belonged toValerius Atticus. A complexsystem of canalizations carvedout of the tufa and endinginside Villa Medici initially

ensured the water supply laterobtained with double connec-tions to the Aqua Claudia and theAnio Novus. A large still visiblecistern having the capacity of1000 square metres was insteadbuilt during the late 4th centuryphase. Recent excavations underVilla Medici led to the explo-ration of important structuresincluding a large apse (14 metresin diameter) provided with aheating plant, richly decoratedand covered with marble, datingfrom the time of Honorius. Inthe basement of the Convent of

the Sacred Heart there is a complex ofsix chambers connected to three differ-ent corridors and to a cryptoporticus.On an upper level there are roomswith mosaic floors. Below the nearbyBiblioteca Hertziana, in the viaGregoriana, there is a long foundationwall of the late republican period latertransformed (perhaps in the Julio-Claudian era) with a series of nichesinto a nymphaeum . Its wall was deco-rated with mythological and sacredlandscapes in glass paste mosaic. Thestructures known as “Muro Torto”,along the avenue with the same name,belonged to the villa and were sub-structures of the northern section.

Villa Medici on the Pincio,on the site of the ancient

Villa of Lucullus

Substructures of the Pincioin Viale del Muro Torto

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GLOSSARY

Apse: A covered semicircular or polygo-nal architectural structure with a vault-ed recessAcroterion: An ornament placed at theapex of a temple structureAgger: Rampart, embankmentAlabaster: A fine grained gypsum or cal-cite, easy to work withAmbulacrum/ambulatory: A shelteredplace to walk in, normally in the shapeof a porticoAtrium: A large entrance hall in a publicor private building. In a Roman house,the porticoed courtyard onto which therooms openedBasilica: A public Roman building witha rectangular plan used for meetings,business transactions and the adminis-tration of justiceCal(i)darium: In a bath complex, theheated room with a large pool forbathing Caryatid: A supporting column sculp-tured in the form of a female figureCavea: The seating complex of anancient theatre or amphitheatreCinnabar: A bright red mineral used inantiquity for pigmentCistern: A brickwork structure for thestoring of rainwaterCorinthian: One of the classical architec-tural orders, characterized by capitalswith acanthus leavesCryptoporticus: In Roman architec-ture, a partially underground coveredporticoHemicycle: A semi-circular structure ina building or in an architectural complexEncaustic: Ancient painting techniqueconsisting of pigment mixed withbeeswax and fixed with heat on a plastersurface after its application Exedra: A semicircular structure in pub-lic and private Roman buildingsFrigidarium: An unheated room with acold water pool in a bath complex

Lacunar: A recessed panel in a ceilingMausoleum: A large stately tomb, thename derives from the sepulchre ofMausolus at Halicarnassus (4th centuryBC)Nymphaeum: A building of varyingshape and decoration, usually contain-ing one or more fountainsPavilion: An isolated building in anopen space, used for different purposesPendentive: The section of vaultingbetween the dome and the walls of thesquare structure that supports itPeristyle: An open space enclosed bycolonnades, common to Greek andRoman buildingsPorphyry: Precious ornamental materialobtained from volcanic rocksPortico: A porch or walkway with rowsof columns on one or more of its sidesPronaos: The portico that precedes aGreek or Roman buildingRaceme: In Roman art, a stylized deco-rative motif with foliage scrolls andsometimes symbolical elementsSpecchiatura: An architectural elementconsisting of a recessed panel, usuallyoutlined by mouldingTaberna: In the Roman world, a shopoften connected to living quartersTerme: Public buildings with rooms andequipment for hot and cold baths, mas-sage and physical exerciseTriclinium: The dining room in a Romanhouse consisting of couches along threeof the wallsVelarium: An awning consisting of vari-ous sections of cloth spread acrossRoman theatres and amphitheatres toshield the spectators from the sunVestibule: The open space that precedesa hall or a complex of roomsVault: An arched structure serving tocover a space that differs according tothe successions or crossing of the archesthemselves

GLOSSARY

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VILLASOF ANCIENT

ROME

DOMUS AUREAVia della Domus AureaGardens of the Colle OppioAdmission: € 5,00 + € 1,50Reservation requiredTel 06 39967700Open: 9.00am-7.45pmClosed Tuesday – Bus n. 714

VILLA OF THE FLAVIANCHRISTIANS – MAUSOLEUM OFHELENVia Casilina, Km.5 (Tor Pignattara) Busn.105

VILLA OF THE GORDIANIAccess from Via Prenestina and ViaVenezia Giulia – Tram n.14

VILLA OF THE QUINTILIIVia Appia Nuova, 1092Tel 06 39967700Admission: € 4,00Opening hours: winter 9.00am-3.30pm – summer 9.00am-5.30pmClosed MondayMetro Line A – “Colli Albani” stopthen Bus n.664

VILLA OF THE SETTE BASSI(Osteria del Curato)Metro Line A- “Anagnina” stop

VILLA OF THE SESSORIUMRemains of the hall with apse in thearea of the Museo Storico deiGranatieri di SardegnaPiazza Santa Croce in Gerusalemme, 7Tel. 06 7028287Opening hours: from Monday toFriday 9.00am-4.00pm Saturday andholidays only with ReservationRemains of the Castrense AmphitheatreViale Castrense/ Via NolaBasilica di S. Croce in GerusalemmePiazza S. Croce in Gerusalemme,12Tel 06 7029279 - Bus n.16

VILLA OF THE VIGNACCEVia Lemonia (Parco degli Acquedotti)Metro Line A “Giulio Agricola” stop

VILLA OF DOMITIA LUCILLARemains of the bath complex and var-ious structures in the basement of theS. Giovanni HospitalVia dell’Amba Aradam, 9Open: only on requestTel 0677053011- fax 06 77053495Bus n.16

VILLA OF GALLIENUSTemple known as Minerva Medica(Via Giolitti/Via Pietro Micca)Tram n.14 or a few minutes on foot

VILLA OF MAXENTIUSCircus of Maxentius and Tomb ofRomolusVia Appia Antica,153 – tel 06 7801324Admission: € 2,60Opening hours: winter 9.00am-5.00pm – summer 9.00am-1.00pmClosed Monday – Bus n. 714 up to Piazza Numa Pompilio and thenBus n.118

VILLA OF MAECENASAuditorium – Largo Leopardi,206 4873262Admission: € 2,60Opening hours: 9.00am-1.30pmClosed Monday – Bus n.16

VILLA OF SALLUSTRemains in the centre of PiazzaSallustioBus n.910Underground cistern in the interiorof the German Hungarian PontificalCollegeVia S. Nicola da Tolentino, 13Tel 06421191 – fax 06 42119125Visits by appointmentMetro Line A “ Barberini” stop

INFORMATIONINFORMATION

SITES OPEN TO THE PUBLICAddresses, opening hours, directions from Termini Train Station

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VILLASOF ANCIENT

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INFORMATION

CAPITOLINE MUSEUMS:“Dying Gaul” (Villa of Sallust),“Magistrates wearing their togas”(Villa of Gallienus)Piazza del Campidoglio

Tel 06 67102475Admission: € 7,80Opening hours: 9.00am-8.00pmClosed MondayBuses n.64/40/70/H/170

CENTRALE MONTEMARTINI:“Esquiline Venus” (Villa of Lamia)Via Ostiense, 106 – tel 065748038Admission: € 4,20Opening hours: 9.30am-7pm ClosedMondayMetro B Line “Piramide” stop then busn.23

MUSEO NAZIONALE ROMANO –PALAZZO ALTEMPS:“Ludovisi Throne”, “Acrolith”, “Gaulcommitting suicide” (Villa of Sallust)Piazza Sant’Apollinare, 44Tel 06 39967700Admission: € 5,00Opening hours: 9.00am-7.45pmClosed Monday – Bus n.70

MUSEO NAZIONALE ROMANO –PALAZZO MASSIMO ALLE TERME: Rooms with frescoes (Villa of Liviaand Villa of the Farnesina),“Niobe” (Villa of Sallust)Largo di Villa Peretti,1Tel 06 39967700Admission: € 6,00Opening hours: 9.00am-7.45pmClosed MondayA few minutes on foot

VATICAN MUSEUMS“Augustus of Prima Porta” (Villa ofLivia), “Colossal head of JuliaDomna”, “Ganymede and the Eagle”,

“Tyche of Antioch” (Villa of theVignacce)Viale Vaticano – tel. 06 69884947Admission: € 12,00 reduced € 8,00Opening hours: January-Februaryand November-December 8.45am-1.45pm; from march to October8.45am-4.45 pmClosed Sunday and religious holidays.Open with free admission every lastSunday of the month.Metro Line A “Cipro” stop

• The sites mentioned in the text notlisted on these pages are not at pre-sent open to the public

• Opening times and admission pricesmay vary

INFORMATION

MUSEUMS THAT DISPLAY FINDINGS FROM THE ANCIENT VILLASAddresses, opening hours and directions from Termini Train Station

Villa of Sallust:Statue of Niobe(Museo Nazionale Romano– Palazzo MassimoAlle Terme)

This publication may not be reproduced, in whole or in part, including illustrations, without permission

INFORMATION POINTS

Aeroporto Leonardo Da Vinci

(Arrivi Internazionali - Terminal B)

Largo Goldoni (Via del Corso)

Piazza San Giovanni in Laterano

Via Nazionale (Palazzo delle Esposizioni)

Piazza delle Cinque Lune (Piazza Navona)

Piazza Pia (Castel Sant’Angelo)

Piazza del Tempio della Pace (Fori Imperiali)

Piazza Sonnino (Trastevere)

Via dell’Olmata (Santa Maria Maggiore)

Piazza dei Cinquecento (Stazione Termini)

Stazione Termini (Galleria Gommata)

Via Marco Minghetti (Fontana di Trevi)

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AZIENDA DI PROMOZIONE TURISTICA DI ROMA

Via Parigi 11 - 00185 RomaTel. 06 488991 - Fax 0648899238

Visitor CenterVia Parigi 5

Tourist Information ServiceTel. 06 36004399

www.romaturismo.it

REGIONE LAZIO COMUNE DI ROMAPROVINCIA DI ROMA

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