VILLA DOMIZIA
Villa built by the imperial family of the Domizi Enobarbi, who owned the island of Giannutri
The island of Giannutri has certainly been inhabited since prehistoric times, as evidenced by the numerous discoveries of weapons and tools. Later it was occupied successively by the Etruscans, the Greeks, who called the island Artemisia, and then by the Romans, under the name of Dianium. Excavations on the seabed off Giannutri have uncovered several wrecks of merchant ships, witnesses of the important ancient maritime trade with the mainland. The Romans also left as a legacy the remains of an imposing villa, built between Cala Maestra and Cala Spalmatoio, on the west coast of the island, in the first half of the 2nd century AD.
Villa Domizia was built by the imperial family of Domizi Enobarbi, who owned the island of Giannutri at that time. This ancient senatorial family was composed of important merchants, including Gneo Domizio, husband of Agrippina, mother of Emperor Nero. Overlooking the horizon, the house covered an area of about five hectares of land, and a huge terrace directly accessible from the sea. The complex included a living area for the imperial family, finely decorated with marble and a black and white mosaic floor. This area was equipped with a sophisticated heating system and a cistern to collect rainwater. Great luxury, which has partly survived the centuries! Villa Domizia also consisted of several slave quarters, as well as thermal baths and outbuildings.
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