Giannutri

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The Roman Villa - 

ARCHAEOLOGICAL ITINERARIES 

THE SITE

The archaeological site dates back to the I and II century a.C., as confirmed by the stamp marks found on numerous bricks that were used by the Romans, including numerous coins with the effigy of Trojan and Adrian found during the years of various excavations.

Giannutri was owned at that time by the Domini Enobarbi family, an ancient family who were members of the Roman senate and also very prosperous in business, including Gneo Domizio, Agrippa’s husband (she was also the mother of the Emperor Nero).

On the island during that period, numerous amounts of slaves and freed slaves (approximately 2,000) were engaged in various activities as building maintenance, and at the two ports Cala Maestra and Cala Spalmatoio.

The beginning of the second century a.D. the island progressively was abandoned, and became a refuge for invading barbarians, a hide-away for pirates, and a religious center for monks, that occupied  the back part of the villa, called Conventaccio. 

After having been forgotten for centuries, Giannutri was rediscovered during the 19th century by Conte Gaultiero Adamo (known as Garibaldino, for having taken part the military expedition of the historical “Mille”) who after that victorious event, lead a secluded lifestyle for forty years in the company of his grand-daughter Marietta. To build the house, called the Garibaldino House, he inserted inside the house the marble walls and  the mosaic floors that came from the ancient Roman villa.

Roman antiquity is found everywhere, a bit all over: amongst recent building of homes, along the footpaths that cross the island, half-hidden under the wild brush vegetation, in the small businesses and offices, restaurants, and private gardens.

 
 

CALA MAESTRA

Here are a numerous amount of archeological sites: aside the villa itself, the so–called cisterone, the well  for water that is still in use today, the Garibaldino House, the dock, the pier with huge supporting walls made of reticulate work, perfectly preserved, and  hundreds of niches, amphoras and a capital that is situated inside a restaurant, La Taverna del Granduca.

The rooms that are used as a restaurant now were probably used as a storehouse for food during Roman time. The rooms of the Garibaldino House, were originally destined to the work activity of the port; these rooms are found along the road that leads to the villa; there is very little remaining in the back area of the Conventaccio, where the Benedictine monks probably lived.

CALA SPALMATOIO

Also at Cala Spalmatoio (given this name due to the type of work that occurred there for the maintenance of boats and ships that were also waterproofed by applying pitch),  the area where the present day Village was built, there are traces of evidence that there was once a very active port: for example after two thousand years various docking pillars are visible above a small pier used for docking small boats.

In the same place, the perimetral wall is from Roman time and at the beach at water-shore level, the boat slip for boats.