In 2018, excavations at the Gioiella-Vaiano Villa site continued in the two areas identified in 2017: the bath complex on the lower terrace and the central terrace where several features, including a large staircase, had been previously identified. In both areas we opened new excavation squares in order to determine both the horizontal extent of the structures and their depth. The villa’s history of use and reconstruction, from the 2nd c. BC to at least the late 3rd c. AD, and the long period of abandonment during late antiquity and the early Medieval period have resulted in significant strata of both debris and fill. Thus, the Roman occupation levels are much deeper in some areas of the site than we initially expected.

In the bath complex, the 2018 excavations revealed the northern half of the apsidal room first identified in 2017. In this area of the bath the depth of the fill and accumulation of debris below the modern plough soil allowed for better preservation of the hypocaust system with several pilae preserved to their full height (63 cm). The extent of the bath to the east is still unknown. To north a passageway appears to extend from the apsidal room, but it is not yet clear if this was part of the original construction or a later addition. Against the outer wall of the apse on the northwest, a later north-south wall was constructed that was then subsequently modified with pan tiles that appear to be reused for drainage. It is possible that this addition is related to the drainage channel six meters to the north that was excavated in 2016.

In the central area excavation focused on the two squares immediately to the south of the north-south staircase and the north-south late period concrete wall first identified in 2017. A brief exploration of the trench immediately to the north of the concrete wall revealed undisturbed clay sediment suggesting that we are at the northern limit of the features of the villa’s central terrace. On the other hand, to the south of both the stairs and the concrete wall we now have evidence of a large structure that likely went through at least three phases of reconstruction and reuse. Under the north-south concrete wall is a well-built limestone wall, the complete depth of which is not yet known, but which has an opening, like a window, framed by long tiles. This wall appears to be related to another limestone wall that runs east-west against the bottom of the stairs. That wall also uses long tiles, which are at the same elevation as the tiles in the north-south wall and which are precisely at a right angle to one another. Thus, the stairs (excavated in 2017) may have provided access to a large structure. To the south of and just inside the western edge of the north-south limestone wall, are two large ashlar blocks stacked on one another and above a segment of cocciopesto that seems to form the wall of a basin. At the bottom of the cocciopesto, on the last day of excavation, we uncovered a small portion of a tile floor, more than 2 meters below the the top of the north-south concrete wall. This type of construction suggests a production area, however, the depth of the fill made in this area made it difficult to reach Roman era occupation levels, and the precise relationships between all the features in the central area remain to be uncovered in future campaigns. The fill at the bottom of the stairs and above the east-west limestone wall included cooking wares and storage vessels, some of which can be reconstructed into almost complete forms. We also recovered more than 500 pieces of intonaco from this area, suggesting that at some point debris from elsewhere on the villa was being dumped into this central structure.

In addition to the intonaco, other notable finds from the 2018 campaign included several well-preserved lamps and a bronze sestertius of Faustina II. From the floor of the bath house, below the pilae, we have a complete water jug.