Horace's Villa

Horace’s Villa is a large Roman villa near Licenza, Italy, identified as the poet Horace’s Sabine retreat through descriptions in his writings that closely match the site’s landscape and architecture. The villa is open to visitors today.

Excavations show the villa developed from a modest Republican-era house into a luxurious imperial complex between the 1st century BC and 2nd century AD. It featured gardens with porticoes, richly decorated living quarters, and an extensive bath complex. The most notable structure is an elliptical laconicum (dry-heat bath), rare in Roman architecture and comparable to those at Ostia and Hadrian’s Villa.

The villa was terraced into a mountain saddle to maximize views and included an advanced water system fed by springs, likely the fons Bandusiae celebrated by Horace. Finds such as mosaics, marble revetments, and a carved marble ceiling rose attest to its high level of luxury.

After several phases of expansion, the villa declined in the 4th century and was abandoned after 370 AD.

Address
Licenza, Italy

Established
1st century BCE