The villa lies around 1 km. from the Archaeological park of the Quadrilateral, which presents to the public a Roman and Medieval settlement, with a notable polychrome mosaic of the third century AD and an underground aqueduct, perhaps of the same period, which is still perfectly functional. At the villa of San Rocco, like that of other villas in the neighbourhood, the _cella vinaria_ was partially investigated. It contained numerous _dolia defossa_ and at least two vats for the must, all related to an activity of wine production dedicated to medium- and long-distance trade. In the middle ages the site was probably occupied by a chapel, of which a few walls have been recovered so far. From this context come pottery and fragments of _pietra ollare_ imported from the Alps. The villa was initially investigated by the _Soprintendenza per i Beni Archeologici_ of Abruzzo in the context of a rescue excavation. In 2006 the remains of a long wall running E-W were found to the south of the site. The parlous state of its preservation meant that it was insufficient to block construction of new lots, which has now been completed. In 2007 the work was recommencd thanks to an agreement with the Association of the _Comuni del Patto territoriale Trigno-Sinello_, the association of the _Comuni del Patto territoriale Sangro-Aventino_, the _Soprintendenza per i Beni Archeologici dell’Abruzzo e la Provincia di Chieti_ with the Forest Service of the United States Department of Agriculture, Oberlin College, and the United States Council on Historic Preservation. This agreement has made a fruitful collaboration possible, including a volunteer group led by the archaeologists of the Forest Service of Oberline College, “Passport in Time”, which has allowed the volunteers to take part in the excavation using traditional techniques of archaeological stratigraphy as well as georadar survey, carried out by Ke Schneider of the US Forest Servece. In 2012 the site was cleaned in order to recover the position of 2007, and the site was expanded to the east.

This second excavation season at the Roman villa in Via San Rocco at San Salvo was run as a field school. In trench III, the excavations uncovered evidence of the occupation phases coherent with the use and abandonment of the _cella_ _vinaria_ and, perhaps, of the entire villa, between the 6th and early 7th centuries A.D. During the first field school in 2012, trenches I and III were cleaned in order to return the excavations to the point they were at the end of the 2007 campaign. Trench III was also extended to the east. _Trench III_ Work continued on emptying the _dolia_ identified in 2012 and extending the trench towards the east and south. The material from the _dolia_ related to the phase of robbing or destruction and abandonment of the _cella_ _vinaria_ and , perhaps, of the entire villa (end of the 6th-mid 7th century A.D.). Early medieval elements such as soapstone were also present. _East extension of trench III_ The aim was to check for the presence of other _dolia_, and therefore the continuation in this direction of the _cella_ _vinaria_. Two were actually uncovered. _South extension of trench III_ The excavation was extended between the south edge of trench II and the south wall of a vat relating to the final phases of use of the _cella_ _vinaria_. Here, evidence was uncovered regarding the life of the _cella_ _vinaria_ itself and the construction of a second vat. In fact, the cut for the foundation trench of the _cella’s_ south wall was identified. It was established that the later vat was built post 1st-2nd century A.D. and this caused the destruction of at least two _dolia_.

The excavations took place as part of the third Archaeological Field School, in which pupils from the Liceo “Saffo” in Roseto degli Abruzzi (TE) and the Liceo-Ginnasio “Melchiore Delfico” in Teramo participated. Trench III was extended to the east and this revealed two more _dolia_ in the _cella_ _vinaria_. At the same time, a survey was undertaken in the surrounding territory. The topographical data from the excavation and survey have been partially published in D. Aquilano, Impetuosa litora?, in Considerazioni di Storia ed Archeologia, 2014, pp. 35-68.