Villa of Domitian

History

The legendary nearby capital of the Latin League, Alba Longa, was completely destroyed in the 6th c. BC becoming part of the Ager Albanus, and Latium vetus was annexed to Rome.

With progressive Roman expansion, the Alban Hills became home to numerous patrician suburban villas. In particular the remains of two large villas on the Via Appia Antica, one attributed to Publius Clodius Pulcher in Herculanum (today in the garden of the Villa Santa Caterina of the Pontifical North American College) and the other to Pompey (Pompeo Albano, now in the municipal public park of Villa Doria) have been found. In addition various Republican-era villas nestled on the banks of the lake and beyond. Many of these properties eventually became imperial property: by the time of Augustus, the extraordinary concentration of villas gave birth to the term Albanum Caesari.

The first imperial villa estate here was inhabited by Tiberius, then Caligula and Nero.

Domitian settled here on a permanent basis, and decided to build a new main complex to the villa in the most panoramic position towards both the sea and the lake, and featuring lavish new structures such as a garden-stadium and theatre. Probably the project was entrusted to Rabirius, architect of the Palace of Domitian on the Palatine.

Martial mentions the villa as one of Domitian's favoured resorts. Suetonius says Domitian had a passion for archery which he practised there and Pliny suggests he held boating parties on the lake.

On the death of Domitian the villa was rarely used by his imperial successors. Some modifications are dated to the second century and in particular to the eras of Trajan and Hadrian. Marcus Aurelius lived there a few days using the villa as a refuge during the riots that took place in 175 AD.

The African Emperor Septimius Severus built the grandiose legionary fortress of Castra Albana in 197 AD on the edge of the imperial properties for the Legio II Parthica. However, decline of the villa also began at this time. …

Description

The villa-estate was built on the outside slope of the rim of the ancient volcanic crater filled by Lake Albano (between 100,000 and 5,000 years ago). The imperial property included most of today's municipalities of Castel Gandolfo and Albano Laziale. Quite possibly it extended north to at least Bovillae (XIII milestone of Appia Antica), in the south up to Aricia (XVI mile), or over 6 km2 according to Giuseppe Lugli. In the opinion of Lugli under Domitian the various villas in the imperial property were brought together in one single property, such as the villa attributed to Pompey, the remains of which are now included within the residential area of Villa Doria at Albano.

The villa was built at least three terraces, a common practice for large patrician Roman villas in the hills: for example the nearby so-called villa of Lucullus in Frascati. The terraces of the villa are narrow and about 500 m (1,600 ft) long.

The third terrace from the bottom was reserved for cisterns with an especially large one of 58 x 11 m, and many water-pipes were found here stamped with Domitian's name.

The palace proper stood on the second terrace, on the site of the present church of St. Francis of Assisi and the adjoining building of Propaganda Fide. Northwest of it the terrace had a panoramic view of the sea (west).

Finally, on the lower terrace were the garden-hippodrome and the entrances to the villa.

There are also buildings over the estate: the nymphaea and the docks on the lake shore, the hillside terrace, cisterns and the three aqueducts from Palazzolo, the access road network, the nymphaeum of the Rotunda in the centre of Albano converted into a Catholic church.

Other remains of a villa of Tiberian age, but inhabited until the fifth century, have been found to the southwest in Cavallacci, at the ring road of Albano. To the east, however, probably the imperial possessions included the entire Lake Albano with the many villas built in the Republican era on the crater (the so-called Augusto Palazzolo, one attributed to Seneca not far away, and others between Marino and Castel Gandolfo).

The palace building had three stories, as shown by the remains of a staircase seen by Lugli. All the walls are made of brickwork reinforced every 80 cm and do not appear to have used opus reticulatum, suggesting a 1st c. AD or later date. …