Roman Villa of Capo Castello

The Roman Villa of Capo Castello is located in Cavo and gives its name to the promontory separating Frugoso beach (or Capo Castello beach) from Cala delle Alghe.

Probably built between the 1st century BC and the middle of the 1st century AD, it is contemporary with many other villas on the Tuscan islands, including the Roman Villa delle Grotte and the Roman Villa della Linguella in Portoferraio.

The villa stands in a panoramic position, an enviable location offering a splendid view of the sea and the entire Tyrrhenian coast.

Structurally, the villa had a rectangular plan, with rooms built mainly in “opus reticulatum" (a construction technique that gave the outside of the wall a net-like appearance), and buildings arranged on six terraces sloping towards the sea in the four directions of north, south, east and west.

The large building, surrounded on three sides by gardens with flower beds, evergreen plants, statues and fountains, must have consisted of the typical sections of a Roman villa and featured marble floors in rich and varied patterns, often with mosaics, while the walls were lavishly decorated.

The residential section had been built on the highest terrace, of which unfortunately only the remains of the perimeter wall and cistern survive today, while the two terraces below were used as gardens, as shown by the absence of internal walls.

The main section of the stately residence stood on the lower terraces. The remains of its rooms have survived, where mosaic floors and the remains of a staircase can be seen. Unfortunately, much of this part of the villa is difficult to see because of damage caused by modern structures.

Other buildings belonging to the complex stood near the villa: a building on Capo di Mattea, which was most likely the servants’ quarters, and the cistern of Colle del Lentisco, which is also not open to visitors as it is privately owned and incorporated into a new building.

Various archaeological finds were discovered inside the villa and are displayed at the Archaeological Museum of Portoferraio. These include a decorative terracotta plaque with a gorgoneion, a small bronze sculpture bearing the inscription "kronos", a fragment of a marble capital decorated with acanthus leaves and opposing scrolls, fragments of oil lamps, brick stamps and a vase.

The Archaeological Museum of the Rio nell'Elba Mining District houses a basin and its associated pipes, which formed part of the system of basins and pipes belonging to the aqueduct that supplied the cistern used by the villa.