pristine ancient roman mosaic floor uncovered on italian vineyard near verona

an almost entirely intact roman mosaic floor has been unearthed on a northern italian vineyard near verona, after decades of searching. the discovery, located in the comune di negrar di valpolicella, has already been declared an archaeological treasure under the vines. it reveals part of the flooring and foundations of a roman villa dating from the third century AD.

all images courtesy of comune di negrar di valpolicella

the roman villa, which contains the mosaic floor, was first noted by scholars almost a century ago in 1922. after decades of failed attempts to identify the exact location, parts of the ancient construction’s floor and foundations have finally been discovered. they were lying a few meters below a vineyard north of verona.

roman mosaic floor italian vineyard

narrow trenches reveal pristine, well-preserved tiles of intricate details, where repeating patterns of burnt red, green and black are formed from geometric shapes. in hope of revealing more of roman mosaic floor, surveyors in the comune are gently excavating the italian vineyard. they will liaise with the owners of the vineyard to ‘identify the most appropriate ways to make this archaeological treasure hidden under our feet available and accessible’.

project info:

location: comune di negrar di valpolicella, north italy