Between 1993 and 1994, the Superintendence for Archaeological Heritage of Emilia-Romagna uncovered a complex of building structures that included evidence from the Republican era, an Augustan-era domus, an Hadrianic-era domus, a thermal bath complex, a late antique building (4th-6th century) characterized by a mosaic with an emblem depicting the Good Shepherd, and a Byzantine small palace.
The latter corresponds to the sumptuous residence of a ranking figure of the Ravenna court, consisting of 14 rooms and 2 courtyards, used between the late 5th and early 7th centuries and enriched with refined floor mosaics. Among them, the one in room 10 stands out for its size and execution quality, a large space of about 100 square meters with at its center the emblem of the Dance of the Genii of the Seasons.
The archaeological complex has been arranged for visits with an on-site musealization: in the underground space, mosaics and marble floors of the Byzantine small palace were repositioned after restoration. The exhibition area is accessed through the small Church of Sant’Eufemia, located above a previous place of worship considered the oldest in Ravenna and Emilia.
