A significant Roman-era villa in Agia Efimia, Kefalonia, is set to undergo restoration and conservation work aimed at protecting the ancient site while making it safer and more accessible to visitors.
The project includes the construction of a protective shelter over the archaeological remains and a viewing platform designed to provide access for people with disabilities and visitors with mobility difficulties. Conservation and restoration work will also be carried out on the villa’s mosaic floors and surviving stone masonry.
Culture Minister Lina Mendoni said the project would provide comprehensive protection and structural reinforcement for the monument while transforming it into a safe, functional and accessible archaeological site.
“By creating this modern infrastructure for the protection and visitation of the monument, the archaeological site becomes safe, functional and accessible to all visitors,” Mendoni said.
Surviving monument from the Roman period on Kefalonia
Located near the center of the settlement of Agia Efimia, the Roman villa dates from between the 2nd and 4th centuries AD and is considered one of the most important surviving monuments from the Roman period on Kefalonia.
The villa has a distinctive U-shaped layout, with rooms arranged around a central courtyard, or atrium. Among its most impressive surviving features are two mosaic floors decorated with geometric patterns.
Archaeologists have also uncovered substantial architectural remains, including walls, a cistern, a well, a lead water pipe and large ceramic storage jars. Remains of a bathing installation provide further evidence of the activities that once took place at the villa.
The site’s history also reveals how its use changed over time. The villa appears to have been abandoned during the later Roman period and was subsequently used as a burial ground. Excavations uncovered several tiled-roof graves dating to this later phase.
The first archaeological investigation at the site took place in the late 1950s under archaeologist Vasileios Kallipolitis. After years of neglect and deterioration, excavations resumed in 2000.
Further conservation and restoration work followed in 2008–2009 through the INTERREG IIIA Greece–Italy program. Those interventions helped preserve the villa’s mosaic floors, stabilize its walls and restore several of its architectural remains.
The latest project is intended to build on that work by providing long-term protection for the archaeological remains while improving the way visitors experience the site.
The restoration of the villa adds another important chapter to Kefalonia’s archaeological heritage, offering visitors a glimpse into life on the Ionian island nearly two millennia ago.
Related: Greece Restores Massive 175-Room Roman Villa in Amyntaio
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