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I have been wanting to visit the Villa of the Quintili for several years.
It’s not that far from my house after all – on the Via Appia Nuova close to the Capanelle Hippodrome - and in principle open to the public (you can also rent it for events apparently).
In principle.
And there is the problem.
First you can only access the villa if coming out of Rome, but also the entrance is not really indicated so if you do not know precisely where it is, you could – and most likely will - easily miss it.
In addition, it has only the tiniest parking space and the entrance to this space is not clearly indicated. A single car can easily block it as it happened to me when I tried to take my parents there, last May. And this is on a major road coming out of the city so stopping anywhere is not an option.
But last Wednesday we actually managed to sneak in.
And had the whole site to ourselves.
A map of the place:
The Villa has been built along the Via Appia (now Via Appia Antica) in the first half of the second century AD. Its name comes from Sesto Quintilio Condiano and Sesto Quintilio Valerio Massimo, brothers both consuls in 151. They were a rich family and had a lot of property. With the enormous structures of its baths still standing today, the Villa is still a tribute to their power.
But, while both emperors Antoninus Pius and Marcus Aurelius appreciated the brothers, their influence and wealth attracted the envy of Commodus, who had them killed in 183 under the pretence of a rebellion and stole their properties.
His influence on the Villa can be seen in the presence of an arena, which archaeologists think he would have used to train for combat, as he was overly fond of gladiators and their games.
His reign was short lived (they often were) but the Villa remained in the property of the emperors until at least the reign of Marcus Claudius Tacitus (end of 3rd century). Then some traces of it is found at the time of the Goth king Theodoric the Great (end 5th century beginning 6th). At some point in time it became ecclesiastic property and became part of the nearby farm of Santa Maria Nova and its building ]s nearly forgotten.
Just like any Roman ruin, the Villa was later plundered of its marble, columns, and what statues could be easily found to be burnt in order to make lime.
With the 18th century, the Villa became property of the Torlonia family and excavation of archaeological sites becoming then a crazem, buildings and some statues were then recovered. Unfortunately, a lot was then sold to (or taken by) foreigners (and can now be seen in various museums (Le Louvres, Münich Glyptothek, etc.) or private collections. A few pieces have been transferred to the Vatican museums or Museum Massimo alle Terme.
Very little is thus left on site, but a little museum has been built to shelter them.
With some very fine specimen...
The Nymphaeum has been restored at the end of the 19th Century.
The Villa only became state property in 1986 so since then restoration works have been going on and various teams are still in action, as can be seen at work in the baths:
All those pictures on Flickr.
It’s not that far from my house after all – on the Via Appia Nuova close to the Capanelle Hippodrome - and in principle open to the public (you can also rent it for events apparently).
In principle.
And there is the problem.
First you can only access the villa if coming out of Rome, but also the entrance is not really indicated so if you do not know precisely where it is, you could – and most likely will - easily miss it.
In addition, it has only the tiniest parking space and the entrance to this space is not clearly indicated. A single car can easily block it as it happened to me when I tried to take my parents there, last May. And this is on a major road coming out of the city so stopping anywhere is not an option.
But last Wednesday we actually managed to sneak in.
And had the whole site to ourselves.
A map of the place:
The Villa has been built along the Via Appia (now Via Appia Antica) in the first half of the second century AD. Its name comes from Sesto Quintilio Condiano and Sesto Quintilio Valerio Massimo, brothers both consuls in 151. They were a rich family and had a lot of property. With the enormous structures of its baths still standing today, the Villa is still a tribute to their power.
But, while both emperors Antoninus Pius and Marcus Aurelius appreciated the brothers, their influence and wealth attracted the envy of Commodus, who had them killed in 183 under the pretence of a rebellion and stole their properties.
His influence on the Villa can be seen in the presence of an arena, which archaeologists think he would have used to train for combat, as he was overly fond of gladiators and their games.
His reign was short lived (they often were) but the Villa remained in the property of the emperors until at least the reign of Marcus Claudius Tacitus (end of 3rd century). Then some traces of it is found at the time of the Goth king Theodoric the Great (end 5th century beginning 6th). At some point in time it became ecclesiastic property and became part of the nearby farm of Santa Maria Nova and its building ]s nearly forgotten.
Just like any Roman ruin, the Villa was later plundered of its marble, columns, and what statues could be easily found to be burnt in order to make lime.
With the 18th century, the Villa became property of the Torlonia family and excavation of archaeological sites becoming then a crazem, buildings and some statues were then recovered. Unfortunately, a lot was then sold to (or taken by) foreigners (and can now be seen in various museums (Le Louvres, Münich Glyptothek, etc.) or private collections. A few pieces have been transferred to the Vatican museums or Museum Massimo alle Terme.
Very little is thus left on site, but a little museum has been built to shelter them.
With some very fine specimen...
The Nymphaeum has been restored at the end of the 19th Century.
The Villa only became state property in 1986 so since then restoration works have been going on and various teams are still in action, as can be seen at work in the baths:
All those pictures on Flickr.
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