La grande Villa Romana di Predappio, ultime scoperte archeologiche tra le vigne della Romagna

Latest archaeological discoveries at the Roman Villa of Fiumana, Predappio (Forlì-Cesena), involving three areas of the vast archaeological site (comparable in size to that of Piazza Armerina). The most promising, the thermal baths, could only tempt archaeologists because it was hindered by water that emerged after the major floods of Romagna in spring 2023, during a trial excavation where the problem had not been identified in previous years. The 2021 and 2022 excavation trials served to "target" the site investigation project conducted by the University of Parma between June and July 2023. While awaiting the 2024 excavation, noteworthy discoveries have been made in other areas, including two important fragments of oscilla, discs made of marble or other materials found in Roman luxury structures, typically hung between the columns of porticoes, often depicting mythological scenes or theatrical masks. Those found in Predappio, of high quality, appear to relate to a centauromachy. Excavation director: Prof. Riccardo Villicich (University of Parma), co-scientific director: Prof. Alessia Morigi (University of Parma). Technical staff: Dr. Marco Gregori, Dr. Emanuela Gardini, Dr. Luciana Saviane. Students from the Universities of Parma and Bologna, as well as high school students from Parma and Mantua, participated in the excavation. The excavation is being conducted by the University of Parma in collaboration with the Municipality of Predappio and the Superintendence of Archaeology, Fine Arts, and Landscape for the provinces of Ravenna, Forlì-Cesena, and Rimini. The municipal administration of Predappio has made a significant commitment, reminding us that the municipality is not only the city founded by Benito Mussolini and a place renowned for its wine, starting with the excellent Sangiovese Locale, but also a territory rich in history beyond the valley's fortresses. Here is how it is described on the University of Parma website: "Sixty years after the two short excavation campaigns conducted by Giovanna Bermond (1960 and 1962), in which the remains of a Roman villa were located, the new archaeological investigations directed by Riccardo Villicich have confirmed what emerged from those excavations and what was observed in the satellite images acquired in 2021 and 2022 in the area west of the Fiumana industrial district, in the Ca' di Mezzo area. It is a settlement centered on the history of a Roman villa characterized by at least two important construction phases: a first early imperial phase (1st century AD) and a late antique phase (4th century AD). Both villas must have been rich residences, characterized by large spaces and prestigious furnishings. In particular, the late antique structure, due to its exceptional dimensions (structures distributed over an area certainly exceeding 25,000 square meters) and the complex and imaginative articulation of the architectural forms (vast, centrally planned, multi-lobed pavilions), it appears to be an ambitious and sumptuous building project celebrating the fortunes of a wealthy lord, likely an illustrious member of the Forum Livi aristocracy. Thanks to the 2022 excavations, it was possible to identify some rooms belonging to two pavilions of the Late Antique villa, 150 meters apart: the first is attributed to the reception area and the second to a bathhouse, as evidenced by the discovery of a heated room. The initial results of the excavations were presented in November at the University of Castilla-La Mancha, at the 4th International Conference of the Interuniversity Center for Studies on Late Antique Residential Buildings in the Mediterranean (CISEM).