The exhibition presents one of the more luxurious maritime villas on the Istrian peninsula from the Roman period, situated on the northern and southern shores of the recessed and well-protected bay in Valbandon. Life in the villa lasted from the 1st century BC until the 5th century AD.
The finds from this site, which form part of the holdings of the Archaeological Museum of Istria, are presented. In addition to new finds discovered during archaeological monitoring in 2022, a portion of finds from the first archaeological investigations of the villa at the beginning of the 20th century, conducted by the Austrian archaeologist and conservator Anton Gnirs, is also shown. Thanks to him, we know the only layout of this only partially explored villa. Results and finds from the rescue excavation on the northern shore of the bay from 2015 are also included.
The exhibition provides information about the location of the villa, its exploration, the appearance and purpose of the complexes, their structural elements and the interior design. A group of exhibited sculptural works, among which herms stand out, were part of the villa's exterior design. Life at the site is also presented through various utilitarian objects and archaeobotanical finds. A 3D reconstruction and visualisation of individual parts of the villa was also created for a better understanding of its appearance.
The exhibition panels are bilingual (Croatian/English), and the accompanying catalogue is trilingual (Croatian/Italian/English). The authors of the catalogue texts are Ida Koncani Uhač, Aleksandra Mahić Sinovčić, Dunja Martić Štefan, Dolores Matika and Erika Trbojević.
