Thanks to a citizen’s civic duty and swift action by authorities, an extraordinary Imperial-era Roman villa has emerged from the countryside of Castel di Guido, just off the ancient Via Aurelia. The breakthrough began on February 16, when the Metropolitan City Police of Rome Capital alerted the Special Superintendency to illegal excavations taking place on agricultural land owned by the Lazio Region.
Tomb raiders (tombaroli) had intercepted the archaeological site, causing severe damage with heavy machinery before fleeing and leaving behind massive mounds of earth. Emergency intervention by the Carabinieri Command for the Protection of Cultural Heritage and the Superintendency successfully halted the looting, secured the area with trail cameras, and initiated an emergency scientific excavation.
Right inside the impluvium basin, archaeologists unearthed an 80-centimeter fragmentary statue of a bearded man wearing a tunic and carrying a wicker basket, likely connected to rural life. Experts hypothesize that the estate was part of Lorium, an ancient imperial property of the Antonine dynasty tied to Emperor Antoninus Pius. The Minister of Culture, Alessandro Giuli, and Superintendent Daniela Porro expressed great pride in this triumph of preservation and cooperation. To share this discovery with the community, an open day featuring guided afternoon tours will be held on Saturday, June 20.
News Source: 9Colonne
