The Roman villa with a 120-metre wing

We invite you to examine a sprawling building that showcases the wealthy condition of its owners. While scholars continue to debate its specific identity, the sheer size and refined interior artistry point toward a significant Roman residence. This estate stood near a Roman road leading toward Julióbriga, potentially serving as a large villa or even a small urban nucleus.

As you walk through the layout, you will notice a clear dedication to personal comfort. One wing functioned entirely as a bathing suite, containing cold, lukewarm, and hot pools alongside a steam room and changing areas. A furnace beneath the floor powered a hypocaustum system to heat the air and water. You can still observe fragments of ancient wall paintings in the hallways, as well as a drainage channel that once carried water from the cold pool through a tower to a nearby latrine.

The site maintained its activity until the third century, when the villa was eventually left behind. Roughly three centuries later, a new group of people arrived during the Visigothic period. They repurposed the grounds to build a pre-Romanesque church and a necropolis of tombs that remained in use until the 12th century.

The site features a building with a wing of 90 metres in length, which probably reached up to 120 metres. Its unique distribution and room shapes make it unlike any other excavations in the city of Julióbriga. During the low season, guided tours are offered at 09:40, 10:50, 12:00, 13:10, and 14:20, with specific times varying by the time of the year.

Sources: Wikipedia, OpenStreetMap, Wikidata, Wikimedia Commons