"VILLA DI FARAGOLA": FROM ASCOLI SATRIANO TO THE UNITED STATES — PUBLISHED IN THE PRESTIGIOUS "POPULAR ARCHAEOLOGY USA" SOURCE: https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/villa-di-faragola-from-ascoli-satriano-united-states-sardella-ph-d--pgd6f/ in the heart of apulia, buried for fifteen centuries beneath the wheat fields of the carapelle valley, lay one of the most opulent aristocratic residences of ancient italy: the villa of faragola, near ascoli satriano (fg). discovered in 2003 by the university of foggia and excavated under the direction of giuliano volpe and maria turchiano, this extraordinary late antique residence – almost certainly belonging to the cornelii scipiones orfiti, one of the most powerful senatorial families of the fourth century – has yielded wonders unique in their kind to scholars around the world. the best-preserved stibadium in italy: a sigma‑shaped masonry dining couch, decorated with gilded marble reliefs of dionysian theme, at the centre of a summer banqueting hall of incomparable luxury. a private bath complex of more than a thousand square metres – among the largest ever documented on the italian peninsula – with glass‑paste mosaics, opus sectile floors, and walls clad in polychrome marbles imported from tunisia, greece and the peloponnese. a cenatio aestiva where roman senators reclined along the curve of the dining couch while a fountain played among the marbles and the scent of the apulian countryside drifted in through the open colonnade. then, on the night between 6 and 7 september 2017, an arson attack – almost certainly criminal in origin – destroyed within hours the protective covering of the site, scorching the marble floors, warping the mosaics, and sweeping away decades of work. professor volpe, who was in kuala lumpur at the time, learned of the news via whatsapp early that morning. No one has ever been brought to trial but faragola did not surrender. thanks to funding of around three million euros, restoration work was completed in november 2024. the villa still bears the marks of the fire – and archaeologists have deliberately chosen not to erase them: that scar is now history, just as much as the senators’ banquets. the faragola archaeological park is now preparing for its second opening to the public. a magnificent article in the american magazine popular archaeology recounts the entire story – from the daunian roots of the site to its present‑day rebirth. it is truly worth reading.
