The site of ‘Molino San Vincenzo’ occupies a cultivated field situated in the Pesa valley, on the lower slopes on the left side of the river. Close to the Roman villa of ‘Del Vergigno’, the ‘Molino San Vincenzo’ also forms part a uniform landscape of villae.

A survey of the field identified a large surface scatter of archaeological material, but also a smaller concentration, 50 × 50 m, the object of this year’s excavations.
The pottery confirmed the identification of the site as an agricultural/rural settlement of high social standing.
The excavation began in August 2012 with the opening of two rectangular trenches – area 1 was 10 × 10 m and area 2 of 10 × 5 m. Seventeen people took part, including fourteen students from the universities of Erlangen and Vienna.

Two linear concentrations of stones forming two parallel lines on a SW-NE alignment flanked by various fills were uncovered in the eastern sector of area 1. This structure was identified as a road with lateral ditches. The finds, mainly pottery fragments, nails, bronze and bone objects all of varying dates from the Roman to modern period, suggest that the road was built in the years subsequent to 1800. However, the finds were of importance as the pottery provided a vast panorama including black gloss ware, terra sigillata and African productions.

The main result of the excavation in trench 2 (5 × 10 m) was the discovery of a dry-stone wall. It was 60 cm wide and formed an L-shaped corner. Built in a vast foundation trench, the wall was exposed at a depth of about 50 cm. To the west, it continued beyond the trench edge. The construction technique and the finds suggest a date in the middle or late imperial period. A pit filled with Roman material, above all dolia fragments was excavated in the north-western corner of the trench. The find of a large lump of opus caementicium and mosaic tesserae attests the high status of the Roman structure at Molino San Vincenzo.