Varignano Roman Villa, Porto Venere, Italy

Varignano Roman Villa is an ancient Roman residence in Varignano, now a frazione of the town of Porto Venere. Its site is marked by an archaeological museum.

Its first construction phase dates to the 1st century BCE and it mainly consisted of a house surrounded by a farm linked to olive oil production. The site is beside the Seno del Varignano Vecchio, overlooking the sea, near the santuario delle Grazie and, to the north-east, the Fortezza del Varignano.

Its main area - the pars urbana - and the productive area - the pars fructuaria - were separated by a courtyard used for 'torcularium' or pressing olives for their oil. The owner's residence was single-storey with atria paved with mosaics, living rooms and bedrooms. Its olive oil processing area contained two presses and a 'cella oleario' were active until the 1st century AD. At that period olive oil production shut down and the vilicus underwent a major rebuild, with the construction of a set of heated rooms and private frigidaria, whose cistern is considered as almost unique among similar buildings in northern Italy. This residence was then active until the 6th century.

References:

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User Reviews

alessandro pontiggia (5 years ago)
visita molto interessante fra i ruderi di una grande villa romana che circa duemila anni fa si affacciava sul mare. gli scavi sono ancora in corso e chissà quante rovine giacciono ancora inesplorate sotto al terreno. molti cartelloni illustrano molto bene tutti i particolari della villa, dal frantoio, al calidarium, dalla cisterna ai pavimenti meglio conservati.

Carla Ceruti (6 years ago)
I resti della villa sono ben conservati e tutta l'area è curata. Il custode è molto preparato e illustra all'ingresso ciò che si andrà a visitare accompagnando i visitatori nella meravigliosa cisterna, unica nel suo genere in quanto non interrata. È un peccato che nessuno si occupi dei moltissimi ulivi, con l'olio prodotto, si potrebbero finanziare ulteriori scavi.

Iain Robertson (6 years ago)
Pity it was closed in april

Daniel Amoah (7 years ago)
Worth the visit. Great!

Daniel Amoah (7 years ago)
Worth a visit when you are around Le Grazie. The Romans again.... Just fascinating history

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