Antequera finally opens spectacular Roman villa to public more than a century after it was discovered

The Villa Romana de la Estación - one of the best preserved discoveries from that time in Spain - has officially opened its doors in Antequera. It is a luxury villa and the home of a wealthy family that used to export olive oil to Rome 2,000 years ago.

The cultural site was inaugurated on Thursday by mayor Manuel Barón. Also present were regional minister of culture Patricia del Pozo and the sub-delegate of the Spanish government in Malaga - Francisco Javier Salas.

A budget of 976,000 euros has been invested between 2019 and 2023. The project has taken a while to finish due to a change in contracts.

The villa is one of the most important suburban Roman sites on the Iberian Peninsula. Its existence has been known at least since 1879, when the construction of the railway station took place. However, it was left unattended for more than a century. It was rediscovered in 1998 during the construction of the town's ring road. Various sculptures and mosaics have been transferred to the town's museum since then.

The importance of the villa and how to visit it

Heritage councillor José Medina Galeote highlighted the importance of the inauguration of a small part of a large historical site. Del Pozo said that the efforts that various institutions have put to open this site to the public are significant not only from an archaeological and architectural point of view. The villa "transports us to the era of the Roman aristocracy".

The Villa Romana de la Estación will operate under the auspices of the Museo de la Ciudad de Antequera. Guided group visits can be reserved at the museum's office or over the phone (952 70 83 00), as well as through the 'Luz de Luna' initiative.