The investigations undertaken in 2009 explored three different areas of the site. The first trench was opened near the canal in an area with a high concentration of ceramics. Patched and raised mortar floors were documented here along with two robbed walls’ trenches. Burned soil deposits found beneath the floors suggest a potential fire and destruction of the former building (a Villa?). A second trench was opened at a distance of circa 30 m from the previous. Here a complicated sequence of earth floors, trenches, robbed walls and dump deposits were recorded. A burial was found within a robbed wall trench probably belonging to a later phase of occupation. The third trench unearthed a portion of a road constructed in cobblestones and brick fragments mixed with mortar. The road was approximately 9 m wide and was oriented North-South – in direction of Ravenna and Rimini. A coin, probably of Constantine I, collected in the mortar during preparation of the road, and attests the use of this path at least in fourth century. The remains of a building facing the road on the eastern side have been found, but at the moment the use of this space is not clear, however it was in use contemporary to the road. Finally, a forth trench was cut at the western limit of the field seeking to determine the extent of the site. Beneath circa 1.30 m of agricultural soil that was free of finds, a consistent dark layer has been discovered. The base of a pillar was documented at the centre of the excavation documenting the presence of a building in this area. In addition, some small trenches and post-holes cut by later deposits attested a long use also in this part of the site. Notably in this trench was uncovered a second burial unfortunately without any goods, but cut by the later layers of the excavation.

Three small trenches were open in September 2010: one in the north part of the field (T21), a second on the west corner of the property (T22) and a third in the eastern limit, facing the nearby canal (T20). In T20, the remains of a thermal bath have been unearthed, small square pillars (suspensurae) were still in the original position in spite of significant late antique rebuilding. A central robbed wall separated the hypocaust from a semicircular pool, the remains of which were recorded in a sample pit in the south west of the trench. The size of the bath, and its associated finds, suggest it was part of a villa dated to the first century A.D. Later, around the late fourth or early fifth century, the thermal bath was robbed for building material. Among the few finds collected from T20 were fragments of red painted frescoes, marble slabs and a limited amount of roman pottery. The aim of opening T21 was to investigate potential structures along the cobbled road excavated in 2008 and 2009. Here, different phases of road repair were documented. A floor makeup found next to the road, hints at the existence of a building, but more data is needed to understand this area. Notably, a collection of mainly early imperial Roman pottery was recovered from T21, while post- fifth century ceramics were rare, contrasting with the assemblage from nearby T10 (2009). T22 was open in a supposed marginal area of the site. Two robbed walls were found, indicating the existence of another building. A thick layer of fragmented bricks and tiles spread all around the opened trench, suggest drainage of the area using material taken from an earlier Roman building. The rarity of ceramic finds suggests that this was not a residential part of the site. Whilst still in a preliminary phase of study, the amount of coins, potteries and glass associated with the cobbled road, seem to demonstrate that after the Roman villa, the site became a late antique market place, in a period probably spanning the late fourth to the early seventh centuries. Nel corso della campagna di scavo 2010 sono state aperte tre trincee: una nella parte settentrionale del terreno (T21), una seconda nell’angolo sud-occidentale (T22) e una terza sul limite est della proprietà.

This last September saw the fourth campaign of excavation in Ca’ Bufalini (Ceseantico, FC), exploring in further detail an Roman imperial and early Byzantine site. Whereas in 2010 three trenches were opened, this year attention was focused in the exploration of only two areas: T20, supervised by PhD student Mireya Gonzalez and T21 overseen by Dr Neil Christie. Unexpectedly, in T20 -where in 2010, the remain of a hypocaust were uncovered – we discovered, still in good condition an apsidal wall. This wall might have belonged to an important part of a building – baths, dining hall? – since its construction was of very good technique and was plastered on both the internal and external façade (traces of red paint were in fact also found in the external plaster). Within the apsidal area we documented three different floor levels, but none of them, sadly despite their good quality, featured a mosaic. The interpretation of this building remains uncertain; it was erected before the hypocaust and it seems it was not connected with this later construction. In T21 continued the exploration of the almost 9 metres wide road that inform us about the presence on an important coastal connection between Ravenna and Rimini most probably during the late Roman Empire (perhaps, indeed when Ravenna became the imperial capital in 402). The 2011 investigations found a large ditch next to the road’s west flank, which most probably related to the water drainage system of the site. There were also the remains of a structure facing the road on the east flank – was it a _taberna_ or a storage house or a residential space? Overall, from a preliminary survey of the finds collected, it seems that there was glass manufacture on site, as well as lead production. As ever, a rich assemblage of cooking pottery, fine ware and amphorae was collected. And this year we also recovered 55 coins spanning the 1st century BC to late 5th century AD, plus some WWII German pieces.

This year attention was focused in the exploration of trench 20 (T20) in order to collect more data regarding the small apsed monument uncovered in 2010. The trench was enlarged in the northern and western sides for about circa five metres. It had been found that next to the apsed monument was a large ditch most probably a canal connected with the nearby inland waterway Fossatone. Post-holes cut on the edge of this ditch, as well as remains of foundation of structures have been interpreted as evidence of a small dock. The presence of a small thermal bath has been confirmed, but data evidence suggests that probably at the end of the fourth or in the fifth century the site was pulled down and raised. On top of this level there were set up structures, floors and post-holes which have been in fact documented and are probably remains of huts. All the deposits explored date to a post-fourth century AD phase, and the hut may be of fifth to seventh century, but more information is needed to confirm. A survey undertaken in the canal also documented fragments of pottery, tails and bricks of Roman imperial date, both on the bottom and on the bank of the canal suggesting this water-way was cut in a phase contemporary to the construction of the road explored in 2010-11. A geophysical survey was undertaken on the surface of the entire field. Results show the presence of a big building on the northern part of the field and next to the road. Circa thirty coins spanning the Early-imperial period to the late fifth century have been collected, also some coins from the 1930s-40s have been found.

The campaign 2013 has been ten day long and research concentrated in the extention of Trench 21, already investigated in 2011. Aim of the sample was to collect more information concerning the building erected along the _glareata_ road identified in 2012 after a geophysical survey. The sample was 5 m by 7 m and was opened in the north/east side of the road. Below the plough soil and removed context 2017 (a deposit very rich in finds that was formed in the final phase of the settlement) were uncovered floor levels of mortar and clay and a line of postholes belonging to walls or partitions. Floors and postholes belong to a late antique phase - most probably occurred between the fifth and the sixth century AD - following the pulling down of the building generally interpreted as _mansion_ . The collected pottery and glass assemblages were poor and finds were particularly fragmented. Few coins spanning from the first to the fifth century AD have been collected in late antique contexts connected with the demolition of the _mansio_. A survey with magnetometer helped in expanding our understanding of the boundaries of the settlement. In particular data from the magnetometer seem to indicate the presence of two further building – smaller than the mansion - along the road.