Casa Romana di Vespasia Polla, Roman archaeological site in Spoleto, Italy.
Casa Romana di Vespasia Polla is a first-century Roman residence featuring the traditional atrium layout with black and white mosaic floors throughout its rooms. The central water basin called the impluvium gathered rainwater and demonstrates the thoughtful engineering of the home's design.
Giuseppe Sordini uncovered the domus in 1885-1886, with digs continuing until 1914; the English ambassador John Savile Lumley helped fund the first campaign. An inscription fragment found in the house's well, dedicated to the emperor Caligula by a woman named Polla, led epigraphers of the German Archaeological Institute to attribute the house to Vespasia Polla, mother of Vespasian, who held property between Nursia and Spoletium.
The residence reflects the lifestyle of wealthy Roman families through its decorated floors and lead plumbing, showing the technical knowledge and comfort available to the upper classes. The room arrangement reveals how members of a patrician household moved through their daily routines.
The site sits beneath the Palazzo Comunale in central Spoleto and is easy to find and access. Being located underground, the space stays cool, so bringing a light jacket makes sense even on warm days.
A fragment found in the house's well carries a dedication to Emperor Caligula by a certain Polla. Epigraphers of the German Archaeological Institute read it as evidence that the domus belonged to Vespasia Polla, mother of Vespasian, who owned estates between Nursia and Spoletium.
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