The archaeological interest of the area emerged after the preliminary investigations undertaken by the local Superintendency identified the remains of a Roman rural settlement, perhaps a villa divided into several parts, both residential and working, arranged along a road. That it was well built was attested by the construction technique and the remains of mosaic pavements. The finds indicate that the structure was occupied between the 1st and 4th century A.D. The excavation permit granted to Turin University under the direction of Prof. M. Barra Bagnasco covers part of an area of municipal land that is under a restriction order. The first excavation campaign (2003) was preceded by a geophysical survey which verified the presence, confirmed by excavation, of a large building (11 m wide, 23 m long) the perimeter of which was not identified on all sides. The structure was divided internally by four parallel walls on a N-S alignment belonging to different building phases and had five large rooms (known as A, B, C, D, E). The building technique is characterized by a stone or cobble and broken tile footing bonded with mortar, with mud brick walls; the numerous fragments of white and pinkish plaster found in the layers of collapse indicate that the walls were well finished on the interior. The abandonment levels were investigated, their chronology runs from the early Imperial period (1st-2nd century A.D.) and a subsequent revival in the 4th century A.D., as attested respectively by fragments of ARS “A” and coins of Constantius and Constans II. The second campaign (2004) brought to light other parts of the building, including a large courtyard paved with white cobbles and rooms which still preserved the remains of black and white mosaic floors. Moreover, the existence of an earlier phase was confirmed by the presence of walls made of stone slabs and brick pilasters in room A. (MiBAC)

The research was extended to the northern and eastern parts of the villa. While limited trenches were put into rooms already investigated in previous years (rooms G, H, N1/N2, O1/O2), the main interventions took place in the central part of the “U” shaped structure. The plan of a new sector was exposed, characterized by a series of rooms with beaten earth floors (rooms p, q, v, s, t, u) arranged around a small central courtyard (room r). Various building phases were identified in the stratigraphy, which led to the gradual encroachment of new rooms into the open area. The discovery of vast collapses in adjacent rooms attests the further extension of the central part of the villa towards the east (room Q). Inside room r, an embedded structure probably relating to a water supply system was excavated. It was made up of a sub-rectangular drain, with tile walls and floor, and two conduits with triangular sections, also made of tile fragments, opening in the east and west walls. During the excavations, a number of students undertook the restoration of the two _lacus_ (room E) that were part of the wine making structures. The intervention involved both the structures and the facings of the walls. The surface cleaning and removal of patches of the adjacent layers revealed evidence of restructuring as well as the presence of an earlier construction phase, predating the must tanks ( _lacus_ ).

Excavations took place in the central body and north-eastern corner of the complex. In particular, the excavations were extended and deepened in the rooms arranged around a small internal courtyard, which in the latest phase became “L” shaped (rooms r, v). The sector presented a complex succession of construction phases, that altered the plan and size of the rooms (to the north: s, t, u; to the south: p, q). Trenches were dug to check for the existence of a system for water collection and distribution: the well that emerged in the south-west corner of courtyard ‘r’ during the 2012 campaign was seen to be connected to a buried pipe which was followed for over 10 m. Dating evidence confirmed that this area of the villa was also abandoned in the final decades of the 3rd century A.D. Immediately to the east the presence of a vast room (Q) was confirmed, of which the west and north sides characterised by the presence of massive roof collapses were investigated. There were clear traces in this zone of the 4th-5th century A.D. occupation that followed the collapse of the villa. Building activity was documented, characterised by the use of un-worked large cobbles, and a small tomb made from two overlapping imbrices was uncovered. In the north-eastern sector, a new courtyard (N3) inside the villa came to light, probably originally relating to an open area situated immediately to the north (N1). Two successive beaten floor surfaces were excavated, the earliest of which was made of gravel.

Open area excavations were undertaken in the eastern part of the complex and trenches were dug in the central body. The new sectors confirmed the eastern limits of the villa. A path paved in gravel and edged with cobblestones departed from the north-east corner of the complex, probably leading to the _fundus_. It ran on a diagonal with respect to the alignment of the complex, and was excavated to a length of over 12 m. Farther south, there was a vast courtyard, over 16 m wide. Most of this area was open-air and paved in cobblestones; in the north-western corner traces were found of an ample roof. The courtyard’s perimeter wall also constituted the villa’s outer edge. The trenches were dug in the corridor and in rooms facing onto it (to the north: p. q, v; to the south; rooms h, l, n), revealing a complex sequence of construction phases for which it was possible to reconstruct the plans. The latest phase had a system of sewer pipes connected to a roughly-built latrine, situated in the north-east corner of room l. The main pipe, over 15 m of which was identified, was covered by roof tiles (north part) or _sesquipedales_ (southern sector). During the campaign, students from Turin University’s course in restoration and conservation carried out restoration work on the _calcatoria_ (room D) belonging to the winemaking structures. During the cleaning of the surfaces, it was possible to establish the various reconstruction phases with greater clarity.

Excavations were carried out in various points of the villa, both open-area and deeper trenches to investigate the earliest phases of the complex. The exploration of a part of the south-eastern sector, the only part still partially unknown, confirmed the existence of a large courtyard. At first, the courtyard was carefully paved with cobblestones, and later had an earth floor. It was bordered to the east by a perimeter wall that was oblique to the rest of the main structures of the villa. The sewer system, partially identified in 2014, was explored further: a main channel, over 40 m long, crossed the body of the villa on a north-south alignment. The secondary, smaller drains, for the moment only seen on the west side of the complex were orthogonal to the main channel and were more or less rectilinear. At various distances (in one case coinciding with the confluence of a secondary channel), the main sewer pipe was seen to be covered by tiles and large stone slabs, interpretable as inspection covers, were also documented. Some work also took place in the small courtyard in the southern sector, already interpreted as a _mansio_ inside the villa. Careful cleaning of several patches of flooring and the exploration of a number of lacunae identified earlier interventions preceding the refined floor made of crushed white stone, decorated at the edges by borders of grey mosaic tesserae. Similarly, in the south-east corner a large hole in the paving was seen to have been roughly repaired. Lastly, in the area between the large western courtyard and the southern one, investigations renewed of a buried channel made with counter-positioned imbrices: the already known north-south segment, was seen to have been fed by a second segment coming in at a right angle from the east. This channel was replaced in the final phases of the villa by a new channel, on a similar line, but at higher level.

For the first time since the beginning of this research, the open-area explorations looked at an out building situated about 15 m north of the main building. Already identified by a small trial trench and geophysical survey, it consisted of an elongated rectangular structure, on a north-south alignment, which was slightly different with respect to the central building (5° towards the north-west). The south and north edges of the structure have yet to be reached; the explored area measured 9.80 x 17.80 m. So far, seven rooms have been identified, arranged in two rows. In one case, the floor was made of _opus_ _signinum_, with quarter-round mouldings at the junctions of the walls and floors. There were clear traces of late-antique occupation in this sector also. Research also continued in the central part of the villa, concentrating on the northern part. In particular, excavation of room E resumed, which housed the _lacus_ of the wine production structures. In addition to confirming the substantial amount of late antique evidence following the collapse of the structures, the excavations exposed evidence relating to the frescoed decorative scheme of the room’s east wall. Although the fragments were poorly preserved, it was possible to recognise traces of a polychrome decoration, perhaps vegetal motifs. A 3D survey of the sector was made. The exploration of the north-south sewer crossing the central part of the villa also continued. The section immediately outside the complex was uncovered. Lastly, restoration and monitoring of the state of preservation was undertaken on the wine production structures. In collaboration with Turin Polytechnic the geophysical survey continued and laser scanning and ortho-photo processing of images taken by drone began.

This season continued the work done in 2016 in the area NW of the villa’s main structure, where a building of over 230 m2 was uncovered. An elongated rectangle aligned N-S, it was divided longitudinally into two parts of equal width. The western half was divided into five rooms of varying size, in the north part of the eastern half there were two roofed rooms, and to the south, there was a large open area. The entire zone appeared to have been abandoned following a disastrous fire, which as the research stands, appears to have been contemporary with the one that destroyed the villa’s north wing. Below the roof collapse and layers of burnt material in one of the western rooms there were numerous objects (pottery, metal tools, coins) abandoned at the time of the fire. The skeleton of a dog was also present. The exploration began of another building situated to the NE of the central structure. So far, a limited area of c. 90 m2 has been uncovered. The imposing perimeter walls in _opus_ _incertum_ are up to 50-60 cm wide, while the internal walls, built in various phases, are smaller. There were also clear traces of a large-scale fire in this area, attested by deep layers of wattle and burnt material, including an accumulation of seeds and carpological remains. Substantial traces of the late antique settlement, overlying the villa’s remains, were present in both. In the area of the NE structure the original alignment was followed, while in the NW sector the alignment is clearly different.

Research continued in the strip immediately north of the villa’s central nucleus in order to investigate three separate buildings identified during previous campaigns. The southern sector of the NW building (24.40 x 9.90 m) was completely uncovered, exploring the south-eastern corner that had remained unexcavated. The plan as already known was confirmed: on the south front, the complex presented a rectangular open courtyard with a portico, attested by four bases for vertical supports. This season, it was discovered that the building continued to the north, underneath the modern track. Several construction interventions aimed at transforming the internal layout in the final phases of the complex were identified in the northern sector. The late antique occupation was confirmed; it took place following a phase of extensive destruction caused by fire. The excavation of the NE building was substantially extended and over 15 m of the southern facade was exposed. The western edge of the complex was also identified for a length of almost 10 m. At least six rooms were uncovered, some the result of larger rooms being divided. This building also continued towards the north below the modern track. Immediately outside the building’s south-western corner the north-eastern corner of another building was identified, on a completely different alignment. A small trench was opened in the central sector between the two complexes in order to verify the continuation of the structures and _opus_ _signinum_ floors identified in the past inside a modern irrigation channel that crosses the communal land from north to south. The trench, positioned immediately east of the already known walls, confirmed the presence of another building north of the central structure of the complex.