THE VILLA DEL CONFINE AND THE MOVING SHORELINE

We are now getting close to a settlement called Vicus Augustanus Laurentium, but first we encounter remains of two more coastal villas. Note that the ancient shoreline of the Laurentine coast was about 1 kilometer inland of the present-day coast, due to the progradation of the Tiber Delta since the end of the Roman period. Buildings situated very close to the ancient coast started to appear during the reign of Augustus, in a period when the coastline was slowly moving seaward.

The Tiber delta and the ancient Laurentine shore. The modern shore is dashed.
1: Portus; 2: Ostia Antica; 3: "villa of Plinius"; 4: the Laurentine shore; 5: lagoons and swamps.
Inset: the dune ridges of the Laurentine shore. Image: Bicket et al. 2009, figs. 2 and 9.

The dunes of the Laurentine shore with dates before present (BP). Image: Bicket et al. 2009, fig. 11.

The first villa is on the border of Castel Fusano and Castel Porziano, and therefore called Villa del Confine ("Boundary Villa"). It is also called Villa Magna at locality La Chiesola (nr. 2 on the plan of Claridge; Lauro - Claridge 1998, nr. B1). The walls are of opus latericium and opus vittatum, suggesting a date of construction in the 2nd - 3rd century AD. A previous phase is testified by a few walls built in opus reticulatum. Long, parallel walls can be seen, at least 180 metres long. They belong to porticos, corridors or gardens. The one closest to the sea had buttresses supporting semi-columns that flanked windows. The buttresses had paintings imitating masonry (red lines on a white background) and traces of blue. Remains of coloured marble floors were found. At the north end is a hall with an apse (A).

A bit to the south are the remains of another villa (nr. 3 on the plan of Claridge; Lauro - Claridge 1998, nrs. B2-B3). The finds on the surface suggest a date in the 2nd - 3rd century.

Plan of villa 2 (Villa del Confine / Villa Magna at La Chiesola). From Marzano 2007, fig. L58.

The border between Castel Fusano and Castel Porziano.
To the right is the area of the Villa del Confine.