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Some ruins of an ancient Roman villa were recently found on “Piana di Latte” plain, towards the sea and near the via Romana. The latter used to be part of the “Iulia Augusta” road, which ran westward along the River Po to Tortona, then southward to the Ligurian coast.
It is thought that the suburban villa of Giulia Procilla, mother of the Roman General Agricola (1st century AD), was built right there.

During the Middle Ages, Piana di Latte was used as a strategic outpost on the west coast, hence the presence of several fortified towers on the sea. Near the Roman road, those towers protected the locals against enemy attacks and incursions of Turkish-Barbary pirates until to the XVI century.

Villa Orengo (currently known as “Villa Sella”) stands in that very area and it features a central tower core. The works which started in the XVI century transformed the tower into a modern and more elegant structure, perfectly merged with the rest of the structure. The very tower is now the hub of an ancient agricultural system based on olive trees and vineyards. In particular, the striking row of centuries-old olive trees can still be seen in the park full of exotic plant species.

The landscape changes when passing through the wondrous access gate leading to the sea. This part of the property shows an unmistakable XIX century style still retaining the magnificent XVI century pergola and its monumental portal on the ancient Roman road dated 1687.
Past the portal, there’s a bridge on the left – it used to connect the Orengo estate to the sea.

The whole property, protected according to its historical and monumental heritage, is now the subject of renewed care to highlight the ancient agricultural system with its irrigation channels and traditional storage tanks in the Ligurian countryside.

text source:
http://www.culturainliguria.it/cultura/it/Temi/Luoghivisita/parchiGiardini.do;jsessionid=1285616BA2144EB9E98022CBF23C0396.node1?contentId=29161&localita=2325&area=214 photo, http://ventimiglia.p categories / read-article / topic / western-treasures / article / excursion-to-discover-the-milk-villas-with-the-coop-omnia.html # .WzyoKy9aaS4 and https: //www.lamialiguria .com / en / component / content / article / 105-culture / villas-and-gardens / 599-villa-orengo.html

This post is also available in: Italiano (Italian)