At the Mendrisio Campus of the SUPSI Department of Environment Constructions and Design until Wednesday, 4 October 2023, it is possible to discover a hidden, little-known and surprising heritage. This is the exhibition Note di lusso in Canton Ticino, which presents a selection of precious decorations from three Roman villas in the Mendrisiotto area: one in Mendrisio (at the Church of Santa Maria in Borgo), one in Stabio (San Pietro district) and one in Morbio Inferiore (opposite the Pontegana hill). The latter can be compared to the imperial palace in Trier (Germany) and the palace of the Governor of one of the two Spanish provinces of the empire.
This is, moreover, the first archaeological exhibition to be presented in the Mendrisiotto since 2006.
On display are coloured mosaic tesserae, including one made of colourless glass on which was placed a sheet of gold protected by a thin layer of molten glass (a technique widespread in contexts of the highest socioenomic level especially from the 4th century AD.); a selection of painted plasters (2nd-3rd century A.D.), including a fragment of an aquatic scene with the fin of a fish rendered with a pink brushstroke; the rims of an amphora, a vessel and a dish; a fragment of an inscription.
The exhibition can be visited at the Materioteca of the Department of Environment, Constructions and Design of SUPSI (first floor, via Flora Ruchat-Roncati 15, Mendrisio) until Wednesday 4 October 2023, Monday to Friday from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m.
Note di lusso in Canton Ticino originates from the doctoral thesis of archaeologist Ilaria Verga, who analysed three Roman villas in the Mendrisiotto area. Researcher Giovanni Cavallo from SUPSI's Materials and Construction Institute collaborated with Verga on the scientific analyses.
Guided tours
It is possible to visit the exhibition on Thursdays (14 September, 21 September, 28 September 2023) with the curators: in the morning with Giovanni Cavallo, in the afternoon with Ilaria Verga by coming directly to the Materioteca at the SUPSI Campus in Mendrisio or by registering at
materioteca.dacd@supsi.ch.
Le ville romane del Mendrisiotto
The collaboration between the Archaeology Service of the Office for the Cultural Heritage of Canton Ticino and the Materials and Construction Institute of SUPSI has made it possible to carry out in-depth scientific analyses of the materials and execution techniques used to create the magnificent painted plasters and mosaics of the villas of Mendrisio and Morbio Inferiore, placing them within the productive currents that characterised northern Italy in Roman times. The exhibition was also realised with the support of the Giovanni Züst Cantonal Art Gallery.
The three large complexes are active over several centuries and are characterised by luxurious decorations, since in addition to the agricultural exploitation of the land they also served as country residences for their owners, who came from the wealthy families of Comum (Como) or Mediolanum (Milan).
The study of the three villas from an archaeological and archaeometric point of view now allows a clearer interpretation of these luxurious and important residences in the region in Roman times.
Each villa presents an initial construction phase during the initial centuries of the Roman presence (1st-2nd century A.D.) and, in at least two cases, a renovation between the end of the 3rd and 4th centuries conducted under the sign of the architectural monumentalisation typical of the Late Antique period.
In this period, in fact, the villas became the exclusive residence of wealthy landowners, who transformed them into veritable centres of power in which the management of extensive landed estates and the reception of clients, friends and family in grand style took place.
The Materioteca
Located on the first floor of the new SUPSI Campus in Mendrisio, the Materioteca houses an important number of materials related to the world of construction that can be touched: wood, stone, cement, pigments and much more. A place to browse and make new discoveries.
Informations
Viviane Haug
Referente Materioteca
SUPSI-Department of Environment Constructions and Design
materioteca.dacd@supsi.ch
T. +41 58 666 63 36
Image
Tessere musive in pasta vitrea, Morbio Inferiore.
© Ufficio dei beni culturali, Servizio archeologia
D. Rogantini-Temperli