Three Roman mosaics on display in Saltara: new multimedia installation

Three Roman mosaics on display in Saltara: new multimedia installation

Three panels of black-and-white figurative mosaic, each roughly 3 x 1 metres, are now on public display in the sacristy of the Chiesa del Gonfalone in Colli al Metauro (Saltara). The tesserae depict rural and hunting scenes — including a cheetah chasing a hare, a hippocampus bearing a Venus figure, and a dog pursuing an antelope — and belong to the Roman material recovered in the area.

The mosaics were uncovered in 1928 during archaeological campaigns in the surrounding countryside. Kept in the stores of the Archaeological Museum in Ancona for nearly a century, they have been reintroduced through a multimedia exhibition that accompanies ongoing research into the Roman domus to which they likely belonged.

Why they matter

These mosaics provide valuable evidence on domestic decoration and room functions in Roman villas of the Marche region. Analysis of the iconography and construction techniques can help reconstruct the villa’s layout and its historical and environmental context.

Visitor information

• Where: Sacristy of the Chiesa del Gonfalone, Colli al Metauro (Saltara).
• Size: each fragment approximately 3 x 1 metres.
• Depicted motifs: fauna (cheetah, hare, dog, antelope), hippocampus with female figure.
• Discovery: found in 1928, subsequently stored in Ancona.
• Exhibition: new multimedia display to contextualize the finds.

The municipal administration is preparing a project to start new excavations after the summer to deepen knowledge of the villa and surrounding area. For updates and practical information, contact the cultural office of the Colli al Metauro municipality.