Museum Roman villa of Venulei

The villa was built during the last years of the Emperor Augustus and the beginning of the reign of Claudius (10-40/50 AD) and belonged to the wealthy Venulei family of Pisa. The Venulei name is stamped on tiles of a lead pipeline found in Massaciuccoli; the tiles are now on display in the "G. Lera" Pavilion. The villa was constructed on two terraces: the owner's residence and service areas were located on the upper terrace, now occupied by the Church of San Lorenzo; on the lower terrace, originally an enclosed garden, large thermal baths were built during the 1st and 2nd centuries AD. In late antiquity and the late Middle Ages, small huts were built among the ruins of the villa.