Villa dei Mosaici di Spello Opens After 13 Years

The Villa dei Mosaici in Spello, Umbria, opens to the public after 13 years since its discovery in July 2005 during parking lot construction. The Roman-era villa features two building phases: Augustan (27 BC-14 AD) and late 2nd century AD. Ten rooms preserve polychrome mosaic floors with geometric and figurative motifs, including a radiant sun, allegorical figures, and exotic animals. The project cost over €4 million, funded by Regione Umbria, the municipality, MiBACT, and the EU Por Fesr program. The architectural intervention by Studio Alfio Barabani Architects avoided a basic cover, instead lifting the adjacent vineyard terrain to create 'eyes' over the city. Walls use copper and pigmented concrete, with a green roof to reduce summer heat. The museum includes Beacon sensors for an app with additional info, plus educational activities for ages 6+.