Villa dei Gordiani

Situated along Via Prenestina, on both sides of the road, is the ‘Parco dei Gordiani’, which takes its name from the imperial family of the 3rd century AD, generally believed to have owned the complex standing on this site.

However, excavations carried out between 1954 and 1960 proved the existence of earlier structures. The construction of the villa, which is thought to be the original nucleus of the entire complex, dates back to the Caesarian period. It underwent several later renovations, although only a few remains are visible today, as the site was covered immediately after the excavation for conservation reasons.

A later phase, dating to the late Imperial period, saw the construction of a group of rooms of various shapes and sizes, almost all built of brick, which forms a separate complex from the villa and is connected to it by a long portico.

The large apse with its trapezoidal shell-shaped vault, featuring niches on its interior, is still almost entirely visible. The most significant ancient remains are the mausoleum and the basilica.

At the western edge of the villa’s area are two large cisterns and a series of ancillary structures; also in the northern part of the park is a large octagonal hall, covered by a dome and faced with brickwork. This building appears to have served as a monumental entrance hall to the villa complex and, based on its features, can be dated to the early 4th century AD.

As was customary along Rome’s main roads, numerous tombs lined both sides of Via Prenestina; among the most remarkable is a beautiful vaulted columbarium, dating from between the end of the 1st century BC and the beginning of the 1st century AD.