Other villas

Several other villas are documented in Antium, including one owned by Cicero, where he wrote several letters to his friend Titus Pomponius Atticus. Remains of villas from the late-Republican period were found at the localities Arco Muto and Semaforo. In the former a mosaic depicting Hercules and Achelous was found. Remains of a villa from the Imperial period are on the terrain of the Villa Serena (once believed to be a circus). A black-and-white mosaic from the second century AD was found here.

The mosaic of Hercules and Achelous. Terme di Diocleziano, Rome. Photo: Wikmedia, Lalupa.

The most important remains are on the terrain of Villa Spigarelli, excavated in 1921. The earliest masonry is from the late-Republican period (opus reticulatum). Others rooms have masonry from the first and second century AD (opus mixtum). Here black-and-white mosaics from the second century AD were found. More rooms were added in the third or fourth century (opus vittatum). In these rooms a polychrome mosaic and paintings with vegetative motifs were found.

Plan of the remains of the villa on the terrain of Villa Spigarelli. Image: Coarelli 1984, 297.

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