Castello di Corbara wine cellars
Loc. Corbara, 7 - 05018 Orvieto (TR) - Umbria - Italy
Export Office: Tel. +39 0763.304003 Fax +39 0763.304152
email: cantinecastellodicorbara@umbriaonline.com
Wine & Archeology
Historical data on the Roman port of Pagliano - Guided Tour:
A narrow strip of land at the confluence of the Tiber and the Paglia rivers is located within the boundaries of the Tenuta di Corbara, known in the past thanks to the emergence of archaeological finds.
Between 1889 and 1890 the Banca Romana, at the time owner of the land, financed a dig in which a series of interconnected rooms were uncovered. Only a few were more thoroughly investigated and the basic structural system of the complex, in cement masonry, much of which faced in “opus reticulatum”, was identified.
The excavations were unfortunately subsequently interrupted when the Banca Romana crashed. Between 1925 and 1926 the Soprintendenza of Florence had the structures, which were deteriorating, freed from underbrush and earth. A project for their restoration dating to 1930 was never carried out.
Thereafter only partial attempts at cleaning up were undertaken. Recently thanks to a series of coincidences the archaeological site has finally been restored to public enjoyment. A radical procedure of maintenance of the banks of the Tiber by ENEL (National Electricity Board) eliminated the vegetation that covered them, which included the area of the Roman port. The Soprintendenza Archeologica per l’Umbria, thanks to financing supplied by the Ministry of Cultural Assets and Activities, undertook an organic investigation of the site, beginning with the southern zone of the settlement.
Operations were begun last year and have so far brought to light a section that was probably utilitarian in its purpose, and a series of structures of a hydraulic nature, including a basin still protected by a niche.
As investigations proceeded, protection and restoration of the structures still in the process of being uncovered were begun, fundamental if these architectural elements, weakened by time and natural events, are to be preserved intact.
Thanks to these procedures, the archaeological site is now open to the public and thanks to financing there is hope of completely salvaging the entire complex. The presence of port facilities of this size is particularly important in the allover picture of trading and economic relations between Rome and the areas of the immediate hinterland.
For more information on booking large groups, please contact us.
A narrow strip of land at the confluence of the Tiber and the Paglia rivers is located within the boundaries of the Tenuta di Corbara, known in the past thanks to the emergence of archaeological finds.
Between 1889 and 1890 the Banca Romana, at the time owner of the land, financed a dig in which a series of interconnected rooms were uncovered. Only a few were more thoroughly investigated and the basic structural system of the complex, in cement masonry, much of which faced in “opus reticulatum”, was identified.
The excavations were unfortunately subsequently interrupted when the Banca Romana crashed. Between 1925 and 1926 the Soprintendenza of Florence had the structures, which were deteriorating, freed from underbrush and earth. A project for their restoration dating to 1930 was never carried out.
Thereafter only partial attempts at cleaning up were undertaken. Recently thanks to a series of coincidences the archaeological site has finally been restored to public enjoyment. A radical procedure of maintenance of the banks of the Tiber by ENEL (National Electricity Board) eliminated the vegetation that covered them, which included the area of the Roman port. The Soprintendenza Archeologica per l’Umbria, thanks to financing supplied by the Ministry of Cultural Assets and Activities, undertook an organic investigation of the site, beginning with the southern zone of the settlement.
Operations were begun last year and have so far brought to light a section that was probably utilitarian in its purpose, and a series of structures of a hydraulic nature, including a basin still protected by a niche.
As investigations proceeded, protection and restoration of the structures still in the process of being uncovered were begun, fundamental if these architectural elements, weakened by time and natural events, are to be preserved intact.
Thanks to these procedures, the archaeological site is now open to the public and thanks to financing there is hope of completely salvaging the entire complex. The presence of port facilities of this size is particularly important in the allover picture of trading and economic relations between Rome and the areas of the immediate hinterland.
For more information on booking large groups, please contact us.