La villa “di Giulia” a Ventotene (LT). Nuove riflessioni per la conoscenza e la conservazione del complesso imperiale

This paper presents the preliminary results of a project undertaken by the Dipartimento di Scienze dell’Antichità at Sapienza University of Rome, focusing on the imperial complex known as the Villa di Giulia, located on the island of Ventotene in the Pontine Archipelago. Conducted in collaboration with the Soprintendenza Archeologia, Belle Arti e Paesaggio for the Provinces of Frosinone and Latina, the project forms part of a broader initiative aimed at re‐examining previously unpublished documentation from several archaeological sites excavated on the island between the 1990s and 2005/06. The research involves reconstructing and verifying stratigraphic sequences across various monuments and analyzing associated materials. Notably, the promontory of Punta Eolo, where the villa stands, has been selected as one of eight pilot sites in the TRIQUETRA Project, funded by the Horizon Europe 2020 program and dedicated to developing tools for assessing and mitigating climate change risks. Constructed in the late Republican/early Augustan period, the villa is best known as a place of exile for several prominent women of the Julio‐Claudian and Flavian dynasties, most notably Julia the Elder, who was confined there for five years beginning in 2 BCE. This complex, the only known example of a luxury residence on the island, extends over more than 4 hectares and is organized into three main areas: the access, the residential and the service areas. The residential area features refined architectural elements, including a xystus, a peristyle or viridarium, a bath complex, and a semicircular banquet hall with panoramic views of the sea. The service area, in the southern side of the promontory, was likely intended for staff accommodations and storage facilities. Analysis of the stratigraphy, construction techniques, and decorative elements has revealed at least five major building phases, spanning from the late Republican period to the end of the 1st century CE. Given the hydrogeological threats currently affecting the site, the development of a conservation strategy aligned with the area’s evolving environmental conditions is imperative. As part of this effort, the TRIQUETRA Project integrates geological and technical modeling, multi‐parameter environmental monitoring, and detailed archeological documentation to inform the development of risk mitigation strategies that may be applied to similarly vulnerable heritage contexts.