Roman villa at Valbandon

At the very site where freshwater flows into the shallow Valbandon Bay, between 1909 and 1912, A. Gnirs discovered remains of two residential type complexes of classical architecture. By means of two dikes the shallow and muddy bay was turned into two almost completely enclosed fishponds where seawater mixed with freshwater. Excavations at the northern part of the coast yielded areas open towards the sea with floor mosaics composed in the multi-colored technique. On the southern part of the coast stood structures with two courtyards with porticos, and two water cisterns. Surely, this residential area of the Roman villa, which was used from the 1st to the end of the 4th century, had an adjoining ceramics-production complex of Caius Laecanius Bassus from Fažana, which according to the remains and typology of ceramic finds in terms of production, may also be dated from the beginning of the 1st century to the beginning of the period of Vespasian’s rule. By the fragments of building material, brick, remains of the villa date it to the 1st century, at the time of imperial rule. Topographically it belonged to a rural site located in the interior, half a kilometer from the villa, on the west coast of Istria. It belonged to one of the largest types of luxurious villa rustica. By its structure, the villa was characteristic for the Hellenistic – Roman period, meaning that it consisted of independent structures which were then interconnected by halls, thus forming an integral unit. The villa complex is divided into two groups of structures. One is located on the northern side of the coast, and the other follows along the peninsula of the southern coast on the east side. Regardless of the distance, these two structures formed an integral complex, connected by a 60-meter-long pier.