That gives the basin a total area of 200.000 square meter. The island lay about 500 meter off the coast, the two breakwaters at a distance of 400 meter from each other. This darsena was (and still is) located at the northern side of the port basin. The harbour was also protected by a so-called ‘antemurale’, (an offshore wall) in this case an artificial island, built up from stones obtained from the excavation of the darsena (inner harbour). The tunnels underneath the northern breakwater The straight breakwater was equipped with tunnels for elimination of the waves. The harbour was built in the shape of an amphitheatre with a curved breakwater on the southern side and a straight one in the north.

Habebit hic portus, et iam habet nomen auctoris, eritque vel maxime salutaris nam per longissimum spatium litus importuosum hoc receptaculo utetur. Saxis deinde pilae adicientur quae procedente tempore enatam insulam imitentur. Assurgit autem arte visenda: ingentia saxa latissima navis provehit contra haec alia super alia deiecta ipso pondere manent acsensim quodam velut aggere construuntur.Eminet iam et apparet saxeum dorsum impactosque fluctus in immensum elidit et tollit vastus illic fragor canumque circa mare.

He was summoned to the emperor’s council and wrote in a letter to his friend Corneliano: Villa pulcherrima cingitur viridissimis agris, imminet litori, cuius in sinu fit cum maxime portus.Huius sinistrum brachium firmissimo opere munitum est, dextrum elaboratur.In ore portus insula assurgit, quae illatum vento mare obiacens frangat, tutumque ab utroque latere decursum navibus praestet. 6.31) is the first author to mention Centumcellae.

The last one also was the architect of another contemporary harbour, the harbour of Ancona, and many other constructions from that time. The project is probably carried out by the emperor’s favourite architect, Apollodoro of Damascus. The harbour of Civitavecchia, situated on the remains of the old Roman Harbour of Centumcellae, was built In the beginning of the second century AD by the emperor Trajan near his villa. By Luca Seidenari Antic impression of the harbour.

Fluctus villas