Villa Grande and Villa Piccola project - St. Sebastiano - Rome

Under the Basilica of St. Sebastian in Rome, there are two Roman villas referred to as Villa Grande and Villa Piccola. They date respectively from the II century A. D. and the very beginning of the IV century A. D. The walls bear frescoes dating from the earlier phases of construction of the villas. In 2013, a project commenced to assess the execution technique, the materials used and the state of preservation of the frescoes. The project entailed collating the technical data sheets for each room of the two villas, describing all the phenomena of degradation detected, and conducting targeted scientific research, such as consolidation tests, cleaning and surface treatments. The study highlighted the urgent need to reinforce all the fresco fragments at risk of collapsing and revealed the poor state of room n. 28 in the Villa Grande (see section "Wall Paintings").
(Photo by P.Soriani)