Fully Furnished Roman House (Villa) At Augusta Raurica

The fully furnished Roman house at Augusta Raurica is a reconstruction of a Roman town house, built beside the excavated ruins of the ancient town at Augst, just east of Basel. Although it is often called a villa, it represents a house in a town, the kind of dwelling that wealthy and middling citizens of a provincial city would have lived in, set among shops and public buildings rather than in the open countryside like a country villa. It was built in the mid-20th century as a full-scale replica based on the foundations and finds of Roman houses discovered in the town, and it is one of the best places in Switzerland to see what daily life in Roman times looked like.

The house is arranged as a Roman family would have lived. Rooms open around an inner courtyard, and the layout includes a kitchen with a hearth and cooking vessels, a dining room with couches for reclining at meals, bedrooms with beds and chests, a workshop and rooms for household life. Walls are painted in colours and patterns based on Roman examples, some floors are covered with mosaics or decorated plaster, and furniture, pottery, lamps and tools are replicas of finds from the site. The effect is of a home that is lived in, not a museum case, and the details, such as the storeroom, bring the Roman household to life.

Information panels and displays explain how each room was used and who lived there, from the head of the family to servants and slaves in the world of ancient Rome, and activities for children, such as handling replica objects, are part of the programme. The house stands next to the Augusta Raurica Museum, which holds finds from the Roman town, and the museum’s displays give the broader context, including trade, religion, crafts and the town’s history. The two are easy to see together, and opening times for both are set by season, with reduced hours in winter and some closures on holidays, so check the current arrangements on the Augusta Raurica website.

The site is accessible for people with reduced mobility in many areas, and there are parking spaces, a shop and toilets near the entrance. It is a good place for families and school groups, and many visitors begin their day here to understand the town before exploring the ruins. The theatre, the forum, the baths and the amphitheatre are a short walk away, so the house works well as a starting point.

It suits families, history lovers, teachers and anyone who wants to see Roman daily life in reconstruction. Allow an hour for the house and another for the museum.