In the Taranto area, evidence of villas is particularly known along the coast. Along the Ionian coast, there were villas in Gandoli, Saturo, Luogovivo, Lido Silvana, Torre Ovo, and Punta Prosciutto.
The villa of Luogovivo and Lido Silvana, connected to a production facility for processing fish, as well as the underwater finds related to shipwrecks, provide initial data to outline, especially starting from the 2nd-3rd century BC, a coastal landscape characterized by complex residential settlements, production facilities exploiting sea resources. The maritime villas enjoyed long-lasting favor among the Roman aristocracy (1st century BC and 1st century AD), when owning a villa with a fishpond became not only a trend but also a symbol of wealth and personal prestige. To meet the leisure needs of the wealthy owners, significant resources were invested: in addition to porticoes, rich thermal complexes were common, often with swimming pools, gardens, fountains, and sometimes even monumental nymphaea.
In the Lido Silvana location, near the Lo Scoglio beach, are still visible wall remains probably attributable to a coastal villa. A short distance away, on the cliff, there are some structures related to Roman-age fishponds, lined with brick tiles, related to a facility for the processing of fish. The facility consisted of 5 tanks arranged in at least two parallel rows. The tanks preserve the bottom, the floor in bricked tessellated pattern, and short segments of the parallels.
All internal edges are covered with terracotta. In close proximity to a saline and the Cannedde spring, they were used for fish salting and the production of fish-based preserves, widely marketed in the Roman world.
