Archaeological Nature Park of Vulci
Archaeological Nature Park of Vulci
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Archaeological Nature Park of Vulci
Hotels Archaeological Nature Park of Vulci
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It is distinguished by the refined architectural decoration of the numerous travertine blocks scattered around the area and by the extremely interesting bathing facilities with their decorated mosaic pavements. A Mithraeum stood adjacent to the domus. This small sanctuary dedicated to the oriental divinity Mithra was used in the 3rd and 4th centuries AD. The decumanus crosses other roads along which lie the structures of the so-called House of the Fisherman and a group of buildings in opus reticulatum. Near this group of buildings the milestone of the Consul Aurelius Cotta was found. Now in the Vulci Museum, the stone fixes the distance from Rome at 70 miles. To the left is the Sacellum of Hercules, first established in the Hellenistic Age. Nearby, beyond the structures of the East Gate, is an edifice whose function has been the source of a puzzle. Some have suggested it was a basin used for cult rituals. In the area of the North Gate stand the massive defensive works, including the gate, the town wall and retaining walls, and the paved road which in Imperial times covered older paving. Just outside the gate a votive deposit was unearthed in the late 1950s. Its contents are preserved in the Museums of Vulci and of Villa Giulia. The park also encloses the large necropolises that occupied the area north of the city. In the Necropolis of the Tavern, which is crossed proceeding from the provincial road towards the excavations, the Tomb of the Inlaid Ceilings, a monumental, five-chamber sepulcher from the 7th century BC, is open for visits. The ceiling of the central chamber preserves its refined high-relief decoration, which reproduces the wooden ceiling beams of a dwelling. Other less important, but nonetheless interesting, tombs can be observed along the torrent bounding the north side of the city.
