An industrial zone from late antiquity and a century aqueduct are at the heart of an emerging discovery. Excavations around the Villas de la Roma and Villa Joiosa have illuminated ruins that promise to shed important light on the activities around this Roman villa in the late Roman era. The work to date has clarified several layered dumps and pits carved into the landscape, filled with dense archaeological remnants, especially ceramics, which place the site in the very late Roman period. To date, discoveries include sets of three and six rooms from the Roman era, with further excavation planned to determine their dates. City records indicate that these features include water-related structures associated with the villa, which will be excavated and dated further due to their waterproof coatings and ongoing study.
La Vila Joiosa reveals a 10 meter stretch of a Roman road that linked Allon to Lucentum, underscoring the scale of inland connectivity. It is part of the broader water infrastructure that hints at a sophisticated settlement network in the area. Within the water systems, a 25 meter north-south aqueduct segment preserves a possible inner width of about 29 cm, corresponding to a Roman foot, showing precision in construction. The aqueduct forks near the midpoint, with a branch running east and the main channel continuing toward a small cistern. This network would have supplied water for private baths, domestic use, and early industrial activity around the villa, which stood as one of the most significant and enduring archaeological sites in Vila Joiosa, with a remarkable 15 centuries of occupation. Notably, this site represents the only known coastal zone from the Islamic era within the Vila Joiosa district.
La Vila Joiosa presents a plan to preserve the Roman baths in Allon. The archaeological remains and recovered materials are expected to yield valuable data about this period and the dynamics surrounding the Roman villa. The findings will illuminate the buildings and daily life of people who inhabited the city during the Roman era. During a recent visit to the digs, Vila Joiosa’s mayor Andreu Verdú noted the participation of Xente Sebastià, mayor of Historical Heritage, along with Pedro Alemany, mayor of Urbanism and the Integrated Water Cycle, in addition to the archaeologists and municipal staff from the Archaeological and Historical Heritage Service who oversaw the excavation.
A Roman villa uncovered in 1997
Located on a small rise beside National Highway 332, the Roman villa at the Plans site was first uncovered in 1997, when roughly 500 square meters of land were opened to excavation. The discovery revealed a villa complex dating to the mid to late centuries of the Roman era, with an industrial zone that likely supported fish-salting activities, warehouses, and a residential section decorated with murals and private baths. The broader region was inhabited from the end of the Roman Republic into late antiquity, with Islamic-era activity later following and an 1854 cholera cemetery area nearby. The ongoing development of the area has spurred further archaeological initiatives.
As part of the implementation of the Executive Unit 2 of the urban land development plan, the urban development agency has undertaken a large-scale excavation around the villa perimeter. The central core will eventually become a municipal cultural site for future systematic excavations, ensuring continued exploration of this key archaeological landmark.