Roman villa of La Olmeda

This splendid rural villa with a palatial air was built in the 4th century AD. Its 4400 square metres are organised around a patio with four galleries decorated by mosaics. Two of these galleries lead onto the villa through doors flanked by white marble columns. Out of the 35 rooms, 12 of them have a hypocaust (an underfloor heating system), and 26 are decorated with polychrome mosaics that cover a total of 1450 square metres. The building has four towers: two of them have a square floor plan, while the other two are octagonal. On the exterior there is a large entrance portico. Highlights on the interior include the Oecus Room, which has a mosaic decoration depicting the legend of Ulysses and Achilles. The figures stand over two metres tall. In addition to the villa, there are also thermal baths and three cemeteries –of which only two have been excavated– where the remains of Roman household items and utensils have been found.