Spello, opens to the public the Villa of the Mosaics, one of the most important recent archaeological discoveries

Scheduled for Saturday, March 24 at 11 a.m. is the inauguration of the Villa of the Mosaics in Spello, which opens its doors to the public: 500 square meters recovered for one of the most important archaeological discoveries in recent years. The Villa consists of ten rooms with mosaic floors, with exceptionally valuable polychrome decorations featuring geometric elements, human figures, wild animals and fantastic animals. There are also traces of stucco and frescoes on the walls.

To enhance the value of the Villa of the Mosaics, a modern, multimedia museum structure has been created, which also makes use of 3D reconstructions, multimedia stations and a dedicated app.This all comes after a long journey of research and musealization that began in July 2005, when the Villa was discovered just outside the walls of Spello, in the locality of Sant’Anna, during work on a public parking lot. During these interventions, a mosaic emerged that kicked off the excavation operations and then the restoration conducted under the scientific direction of the then Archaeological Superintendence of Umbria: from the excavation emerged a large villa, consisting of twenty rooms, ten of which have mosaic floors (these are the ones that occupy the central sector of the villa). Unfortunately, the entrance was lost. The rooms were named after the depictions in the mosaics or their function: the bird room, the amphora room, the triclinium, the radiant sun room, the geometric mosaic room, the peristyle, the shield room, and the heated room. Among the most interesting elements are the floor with a wine-mixing scene flanked by Dionysian procession satyrs in the center of the banquet hall and the large mosaic with the sun in the radiant sun room. The villa was finished in two phases: one in the Augustan age (27 B.C.-A.D. 14), the second in the height of the imperial age, toward the end of the second century A.D.

Speakers at the inauguration on Saturday 24 will include Moreno Landrini, mayor of the City of Spello; Catiuscia Marini, president of the Region of Umbria; Aurora Raniolo, regional secretary for Umbria of the Ministry of Cultural Heritage and Activities of Tourism; Marica Mercalli, superintendent for Archaeology, Fine Arts and Landscape of ’Umbria, Marcello Barbanera, archaeologist of the Department of Sciences of Antiquity of the University of Rome La Sapienza, Alfio Barabani, architect designer and director of works, Marco Tortoioli Ricci, artistic director of Comodo - Methodology Project Isia Urbino. Maria Paola Azzario, president of the Italian Federation of Unesco Clubs, and Nives Maria Tei Coaccioli, president of FAI Umbria, will bring closing greetings. Gianluca Bellucci, president of Sistema Museo, the entity placed to manage the museum structure, will coordinate the event.

Spello, opens to the public the Villa of the Mosaics, one of the most important recent archaeological discoveries

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