This is the site of one of the numerous Roman villas scattered along this stretch of the Adriatic coast close to the mouth of the river Trigno and that during antiquity were situated near the crossroads of the Adriatic via Flaminia with an important road leading to the inland areas of Samnium. In the Roman period, this site fell within the territory of the municipum histoniensium, whose main urban centre was Histonium, modern Vasto, which is 10 km away.

The villa is 1 km from the Parco Archeologico del Quadrilatero, where the important remains of a Roman and medieval settlement can be visited. These include a polychrome mosaic dating to the 3rd century A.D. and an underground aqueduct, perhaps of the same date, still fully functioning.

As at other villae found in the area, at the villa di via San Rocco the cella vinaria has been partially investigated, with its numerous dolia defossa and at least two tanks for the must, all relating to the production of wine destined for middle and long distance markets.
In the medieval period, the site was probably occupied by a cult building, of which some walled remains have come to light. This context has produced fragments of pottery and soapstone imported from the Alps.

The first investigations took the form of a rescue excavation undertaken by the Archaeological Superintendency of Abruzzo in 1996-97.
In 2006, the remains of the sub-foundations of a long wall were found. On an east-west alignment, the wall was immediately south of the site. Due to its very bad state of preservation, the project to parcel out the land for building was not blocked and has since been completed.

In 2007, a three-week excavation campaign was undertaken in collaboration with several local territorial bodies, the Archaeological Superintendency of Abruzzo, Chieti province, the Forestry Service of the United States Department of Agriculture, Oberlin College and the American Advisory Council on Historic Preservation. Stratigraphic excavation and geophysical surveys were undertaken.