Archaeological Area of Poggio del Molino

Poggio del Molino

“A natural setting so fortuitous represents a primary merit for a maritime villa, but the choice of location could have followed from other motivations still, more directly connected to the morphology of this tract of coast and the production activities oriented around it during antiquity” (Vincenzo Saladino) 

The Roman settlement of Poggio del Molino is found in the heart of the territory of Populonia. The archaeological area extends across a sheer plateau on the coast between San Vincenzo and Elba Island. To the east, it overlooks the Colline Metallifere (“Metalbearing Hills”) of Campiglia Marittima and the plain lying between the ancient city and the via Aurelia, a territory that was characterized by the Rimigliano Lake.

STORIES

The three stories of Poggio del Molino

In the 2nd century BCE, the northern section of the promontory was occupied by a defensive structure raised to control and defend the territory against the piracy which, during that period, threatened the coasts and heartland of the Roman dominion.

At the end of the 1st century BCE, the fortress was transformed into a farm connected with a cetaria, or facility for manufacturing garum, a condiment which was extremely popular in Roman cuisine.

In the second half of the 2nd century CE, after a profound restructuration, the building was developed into an elite residence oriented around a large central garden and including a residential quarter along with bathing facilities, whose elegant pavements and mosaics are preserved today.

Ten things not to miss

An archaeological excavation site preserves, unveils and tells countless stories of the daily life of the people who lived the ancient settlement and of those who today study its traces.