Via Zoppi 5 - 37100 Verona (VR)
Summary
The Roman villa in Valdonega was built in the I century A.D. in a suburban area and it conserves today three rooms facing a L-shaped porch. The porch was probably open on a courtyard or on a garden.
History of research
The villa in Valdonega was discovered in 1957 during the works for the construction of an apartment building and it was then excavated by the General Direction for Archaeological Heritage in the Veneto region.
Urban and geographical context
Verona is located along the Adige river, where this enters in the Po plain, at about thirty kilometres east to the Garda lake. Its altitude is 59 metres above sea level and it is placed at the basis of the Lessini mountains. The villa in Valdonega is located on the early slopes of the Lessini mountains, approximately 2 kilometres from the centre of the modern as well as of Roman Verona.
Chronology
I A.D.
Roman villa in Valdonega
The private Roman house in Valdonega was built in the I century A.D. out of the urban area. The data allow us to understand part of the ground-floor, but it is thought that the building was on several levels, as per the ground slope. The visible remains of the villa today include three rooms that faced an L-shaped porch (no longer visible) which was probably open on a court or on a garden and which was closely connected to them. The main room (A) is a rectangular-shaped three sides columned room with the fourth wall having a door flanked by windows. The room was paved with mosaic and its walls were painted with frescos. For this reason it has been interpreted as a Corinthian “oecus”, that is an elegant living room. The second room (C) was accessible through another small room (B), which was partially paved in “cocciopesto” and partially with black mosaic within a white frame. The second room had a large window opening on the external porch, a mosaic pavement and fresco painted walls. Another long, narrow room (D) without openings or coverings flanked the three rooms on their western side and might have been a cavity for thermal insulation.
Visiting
Admission: Solo su prenotazione Negli orari di apertura; Visitability: Interno; Ticket: No;
School accessUpon reservation
TipologyWhenSpecs
OnlyFirst Saturday of the month15.30 - 18.30
OnlyFirst Sunday of the month9.30 - 12.30


Recommended tour time (minutes): 60
Services for visitors
Educational Services
Brochure
Brochure available at the ticket office
Information boards
Guided Tours
Guided tours by the association "Centro Turistico Giovanile" (tel. 045 8004592)
Educational activities
Teaching activities by the association "Centro Turistico Giovanile" (tel. 045 8004592)
Library and documentation centre
Bibliography
Forlati Tamaro B. 1958, La casa romana nel Veneto e una nuova scoperta a Verona, in Archeologia Classica, X, pp. 116-120.
Tosi G. 1975, La casa romana di Valdonega e il problema degli oeci colonnati, in Venetia. Studi miscellanei di archeologica delle Venezie, III, Padova, pp. 9-71.
Mangani E., Rebecchi F., Strazzulla M.J. 1981, Emilia, Venezie (Guide Archeologiche Laterza), Bari, pp. 179-180.
Cavalieri Manasse G. 1987, Verona, in Il Veneto nell'età romana, II, a cura di Cavalieri Manasse G., Verona, pp. 41-42.
Archeologia a Verona 2000, a cura di Bolla M., Milano, pp. 95-97.
I luoghi della cultura 2006, Roma, pp. 385.
Bonetto J. 2009, Veneto (Archeologia delle Regioni d'Italia), Roma, pp. 449.