In the stretch of sea in front of Punta della Vipera in Santa Marinella you can recognize the remains of a system of tanks that made up a large fishpond, that is an area where fish were bred.
The pools are all inter-communicating and the complex has the dimensions of about 48 meters by 30 meters and dates back to the first century BC. With its imposing size, this is considered the largest such complex in the Mediterranean along with that of Torre Astura near Nettuno.
Probably nearby there was an imperial era villa testified by some traces of pavement, small walls and remains of marble decorations.
At Punta Vipera there was also an ancient Etruscan sanctuary built in 530 BC. which was then in operation throughout the Roman period and dedicated to the goddess Minerva, protector of births. I
n fact, finds have been unearthed that refer to various historical episodes such as the invasion of Dionysius from Syracuse in 384 BC. and the Roman settlement of Castrum Novum.
In the imperial period, then, a Roman villa was built on the ruins of the temple, or an agricultural centre that supplied all the neighbouring cities.
The centre was part of the Castrum Novum settlement and was probably also part of a subsequent post station along the Via Aurelia.
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