An extraordinary
incidental discovery

It all began by chance when, in July of 2005, a monumental Roman complex of considerable size was brought to light just outside the walls of Spello, in the district of Sant’Anna. The remains of an ancient mosaic emerged from the earth, which triggered the excavation activities, and, later, the restoration efforts.

These meticulous operations, which were carried out in collaboration with the Ministry of Cultural Heritage and Tourism, the Region of Umbria, the Umbrian Archaeology, Fine Arts and Landscape Superintendence, and the Municipality of Spello, allowed for the recovery of one of the most prestigious archaeological discoveries of recent years, and its transformation into a museum.

The archaeological surveys revealed twenty different rooms, which were likely associated with the central body of a villa from the late Imperial age. The recovered floor mosaics were splendid. The fluidity of the design and the colour rendering, above all in the larger room, bear witness to the extraordinary technical quality of the work carried out by the mosaicists, whose talents may have come from Rome in order to meet the demands of a wealthy client of high social stature.