Casa romana di Vespasia Polla
First-century AD Roman house beneath the Palazzo Comunale of Spoleto, with almost intact mosaic floors and Third Pompeian Style frescoes.
Have only individual sections read aloud
About the museum
The Roman house of Spoleto lies in the historic centre, in the area of the forum of the ancient Spoletium, beneath the Palazzo Comunale (town hall). It is a patrician house (domus) of the 1st century AD, whose mosaic floors have survived almost in their entirety.
The first excavation was carried out in 1885–1886 by the local archaeologist Giuseppe Sordini, funded by the English ambassador Sir Savile Lumley. For lack of funds, the recovery of all the rooms was completed only in 1912. During the excavations an inscription was found in which a woman named Polla dedicates a work to the emperor Caligula. Hence the hypothesis, never confirmed, that the house belonged to Vespasia Polla, mother of the emperor Vespasian.
The route begins with a short corridor and reaches the atrium with its impluvium, flanked by cubicula (bedrooms) and wings with black-and-white mosaics. On the central axis opens the tablinum, with the raised triclinium and traces of fresco decoration, while a passage leads towards the peristyle, of which fragments of columns survive.
Highlights
- Atrium with impluvium and cistern
- Geometric black-and-white mosaics of the 1st century AD
- Third Pompeian Style frescoes
- Tablinum and raised triclinium
- Everyday finds on display: pottery, glass, combs and hairpins
- Operated by
- Comune di Spoleto (Sistema museale Spoleto Cultura)
- Visitors per year
- approx. 25,038
Admission & discounts
| Adults | €5 |
|---|---|
| Reduced | €3Visitors aged 18 to 25 |
| Children & teens | freefree up to age 17 · Free admission for under-18s. |
| Visitors with disabilities | freecompanion free · Free admission for people with disabilities, with one companion. |
| Students & apprentices | freeFree admission for students of fine arts and performing arts. |
| Spoleto Card weekly (valid 7 days) | €12Reduced €8; also includes the other museums in the network. |
| Spoleto Card annual | €18Reduced €14. |
Free admission also for ICOM members, members of the Amici di Palazzo Collicola, journalists and tour guides. Tickets can be bought online on the website of the official ticket office.
Accessibility
- Wheelchair accessible: no information
- Elevator: no information
- Accessible restroom: no information
- Accessible parking: no information
- Service dogs welcome: no information
- Tactile models & exhibits: no information
- Sign language tours: no information
- Easy-to-read materials: no information
- Audio description: no information
The website gives no information on accessibility services.
Kids & families
The museum hasn’t published any information on this.
Getting there & parking
By car
Paid parking
Paid car park at the Posterna, connected to the centre by a free moving walkway that exits into Piazza del Mercato.
The entrance is beneath the Palazzo Comunale, near Piazza del Mercato.
Get directionsAmenities & dining
- Museum shop
Events & venue rental
The museum hasn’t published any information on this.
Plan your visit
| Guided tours | yes · approx. 60 min |
|---|---|
| Audio guide | yes (IT, EN, ES, FR, DE) |
| School programs | yes |
| Good to know | Guided tour “Dentro la Domus: un viaggio nel tempo” (Inside the Domus: a journey through time), lasting about an hour. A virtual tour is available on the website. |
