Memories of a majestic villa overlooking the sea
The buildings built in Marina di Palo around the sixties have spared small portions of a residential structure from the Roman era. Despite the scantiness of the traces that have come down to the present day, it is possible to try to recreate the majesty of this residential complex.
Between the centuries-old Palo wood and the Sanguinara ditch, close to the beach, there was a sumptuous Roman villa of considerable size. Several structures of the ancient complex remain, still visible today along the beach and in the neighborhood, dating back to the imperial era (1st-11th century AD). In Piazza della Rugiada, protected by an often closed fence, you can see rooms that were once heated and other structures attributable to the thermal and residential area of the villa. In Via Albatros, set between two moden villas, there are interesting remains of a large cisten with two naves, originally covered with barrel vaults. On the seafront, the remains of a funerary monument of the rectangular tower type, are characterized by the presence of traces of the intenal spiral staircase that led to the raised floor where the burial chamber was located. A short distance away, a long wall made of stone parts is also visible along the edge of the beach towards the seafront. The wall, originally over 50 meters long, was part of an elongated rectangular construction with a short semicircular side that can be interpreted as a portico or more likely a large basin built to decorate the villa. Other remains emerge close to the beach and near the mouth of the Sanguinara ditch.