Civitavecchia rediscovers its ancient coastline: on December 4 the presentation of the "Centumcellae - Litoralis" project and the return of the sors plumbea at Punta della Vipera

On Thursday, December 4, at 3 p.m., the Aula Pucci of the Civitavecchia City Hall becomes the gateway to a new narrative of the coastline: the sea, Etruscan sanctuaries, Roman villas and historic landscapes of the Civitavecchia coastline are brought together in a single narrative thanks to the project "Centumcellae - Litoralis. Knowledge, education and enhancement of the historical-archaeological heritage of the Civitavecchia coast." A rare and valuable find will also return to the city on this occasion: the sors plumbea from the Etruscan sanctuary of Punta della Vipera.

Promoted in partnership by the Municipality of Civitavecchia, Regional Directorate National Museums Lazio - National Archaeological Museum of Civitavecchia, Superintendence of Archaeology, Fine Arts and Landscape for the Province of Viterbo and Southern Etruria, DiSCo Lazio, Sapienza University of Rome, Università degli Studi della Tuscia, Consorzio Polo Universitario di Civitavecchia and Associazione Archeologica Centumcellae 1911, the Centumcellae - Litoralis project was created to connect in a single circuit of knowledge, education and cultural tourism the symbolic places of the ancient history of the territory.

The initiative was funded as part of the DiSCo Lazio 2025 Call for Proposals and by the Municipality of Civitavecchia, with the aim of building a new cultural and tourist offer based on knowledge of the historical and environmental context of the coast: an integrated action that combines scientific research, university teaching, popular initiatives and visitor itineraries.

In the first phase of the project, the system networks some of the most significant-and partly still little known to the general public-sites of the Civitavecchia coastline:

 - the settlement of Aquae Tauri, the Taurine Baths and the so-called Villa Pulcherrima;

 - The Etruscan necropolis of La Scaglia;

 - the coastal settlement of La Frasca, the coastal villa of Torre Valdaliga, and the coastal complex of La Mattonara;

 - the Etruscan sanctuary of Punta della Vipera and the Fortress of Civitavecchia.

The fulcrum of the system is the National Archaeological Museum of Civitavecchia, a true "cultural beacon" of the city, which preserves the material heritage of the sites involved and which, by 2026, will be the protagonist of a renovation of its layout in order to restore in an even more effective way the multiple historical-archaeological values expressed by the territory.

The day on December 4 will open with institutional greetings from the Mayor of Civitavecchia, representatives of DiSCo Lazio, the Regional Directorate of National Museums Lazio, the Soprintendenza Archeologia, belle arti e paesaggio for the province of Viterbo and Southern Etruria, the heads of the Departments and Universities involved and the Consorzio Polo Universitario di Civitavecchia. This will be followed by the presentation of the "Centumcellae - Litoralis" project, the new logo and the planned activities, by the municipality, the National Archaeological Museum of Civitavecchia and the university professors who are partners in the initiative.

A central moment of the meeting will be devoted to the Etruscan sanctuary of Punta della Vipera, a sacred coastal complex dedicated to the goddess Minerva with oracular functions, in connection with the Castellina del Marangone settlement. Here, in the mid-1960s, a rare sors plumbea (oracular token) was found, which is now the object of a significant gesture of restitution: thanks to the availability of the National Etruscan Museum of Villa Giulia, the sors will in fact return to the National Archaeological Museum of Civitavecchia, returning to its original territorial and museum context.

During the afternoon, old and new research on the sanctuary of Punta della Vipera, conducted in collaboration with the Soprintendenza archeologia, belle arti e paesaggio for the province of Viterbo and southern Etruria, will be presented, as well as the new refurbishment of the museum room dedicated to the sacred complex, which will offer the public an updated and immersive tour of the history of the sanctuary and the materials found there.

The Dec. 4 event thus represents the first step in a larger project aimed at making the Civitavecchia coast a laboratory of best practices for the protection, research, training and shared enhancement of cultural heritage, in close dialogue between institutions, universities, local authorities and communities.