The 2019 archaeological investigations at the so-called Villa di Tito include excavation, 3D imaging reconstruction of standing architectural remains, artefact analysis, and conservation. Our excavations this year have improved our understanding of the structure’s overall layout and the arrangement of rooms within the terraced structure. We can now definitively date Period 1, Phase 2 renovations to the structure to the middle of the first century CE, as well as the Period 2, Lombard-era reoccupation of the site, datable to the 7th/8th century CE (Carbon 14 Dating). This reoccupation appears to have been temporary and was possibly associated with pastoral or agricultural activity in the site’s environs.

Turning to the early imperial period remains, while we do not know the function of any interior space with certainty, Room 3, excavated by Alvino and containing the black and white mosaic, was likely a reception area of some sort, and Room 10, which contained a vaulted apse with inset semi-circular niche, was clearly a large and significant interior space used for display and possibly associated with reception or cultic activity. Our limited investigation of areas previously excavated by Alvino’s team indicate that they had not, in fact, reached virgin soil throughout their excavations, and our continued excavations in this room have provided excellent dating evidence for Period 1, Phase 2 renovations (Claudian period/Mid-first century CE). We have also collected point cloud data for the standing architectural remains and for the terrain between the villa and Lago di Paterno, and this data set will be expanded in future seasons. Finally, thanks to the efforts of Stefania Zucconi, walls exposed during 2018 and 2019 excavations, including the aforementioned niche, have been cleaned, consolidated, and in places restored to increase their structural integrity.