Villa dei Quintili | |
 Ruins of the Villa dei Quintili | |
 Click on the map for a fullscreen view | |
| Location | Rome,Italy |
|---|---|
| Region | Lazio |
| Coordinates | 41°49′53.143″N12°33′8.935″E / 41.83142861°N 12.55248194°E /41.83142861; 12.55248194 |
| Type | Dwelling |
| History | |
| Periods | Roman Imperial |
| Cultures | Roman |
| Site notes | |
| Condition | Ruined |
| Ownership | Public |
| Public access | Yes |
| Website | Official website |
TheVilla of the Quintilii (Italian: Villa dei Quintili) is a monumental ancientRoman villa beyond the fifth milestone along theVia Appia Antica just outside the traditional boundaries ofRome,Italy. It was built by the rich and culturedQuintilii brothers Sextus Quintilius Valerius Maximus and Sextus Quintilius Condianus (consuls in 151 AD).[1]
The ruins of thisvilla suburbana are of such an extent that when they were first excavated, the site was calledRoma Vecchia ("Old Rome") by the locals, as they occupied too great a ground, it seemed, to have been anything less than a town.[2] The nucleus of the villa was constructed in the time ofHadrian.[citation needed] The villa included extensivethermae fed by its ownaqueduct and, what was even more unusual, a garden-hippodrome, which dates to the fourth century, when the villa was Imperial property: the emperorCommodus coveted the villa strongly enough to put to death its owners in 182 and confiscate it for himself.
In 1776Gavin Hamilton, the entrepreneurial painter and purveyor of Roman antiquities, excavated some parts of the Villa of the Quintilii, still called "Roma Vecchia", and the sculptures he uncovered revealed the imperial nature of the site:
A considerable ruin is seen near this last upon the right hand, and is generally considered to have been the ruins of a Villa of Domitian's nurse. The fragments of Collossal Statues found near this ruin confirms me in this opinion, the excellent sculptour strengthens this supposition...[3]
There he found five marble sculptures, including "An Adonis asleep",[4] that he sold toCharles Townley and have come to theBritish Museum and "A Bacchante with the tyger", listed as sold toMr Greville.[5] The large marble relief ofAsclepius found at the site passed from Hamilton to the Earl of Shelburne, later Marquess of Lansdowne, atLansdowne House, London.[6] The "Braschi Venus" from the site was purchased byPius VI's nephew,Luigi Braschi Onesti.
Today the archeological site houses a museum[7] with marble friezes and sculptures that once adorned the villa. Thenympheum, the hall of thetepidarium and the baths may also be visited. A grand terrace overlooking the Via Appia Nuova, which dates back to 1784, commands a fine view of theCastelli Romani district. The villa's grounds extended even beyond the route of the Via Appia Nuova.
In 2018, new excavations uncovered an extravagant and extraordinary winery andtriclinium, built over the starting gates of the Commodus' circus, which features marble-clad instead ofopus signinum treading areas, and a distribution system with fountains of wine that flowed from the production spaces down into the cellar.[8] The facility has equipment normally found in ancient Roman wineries,[9] but the level of decoration and theatre indicate that it served a more unusual purpose of conspicuous production and potential vintage ritual for the elite of imperial Roman society.[10]Triclinia (dining rooms) with wide entrances surrounded this winery area on three sides, their walls and floors covered in elaborateopus sectile with exotic marbles in geometrical patterns, indicating that the emperor entertained here around the theatrical spectacle of wine production. It is similar to the ceremonial winery of the imperialVilla Magna inLatium. It is dated to the reign ofGordian III (r. 238-244 AD).[11]
Media related toVilla dei Quintili (Rome) at Wikimedia Commons
Media related toVilla dei Quintili (Rome) at Wikimedia Commons
| Preceded by Insula dell'Ara Coeli | Landmarks of Rome Villa of the Quintilii | Succeeded by Villa dei Sette Bassi |
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