House of Orazio

In Venosa, in the province of Potenza, the square dedicated to Quinto Orazio Flacco commemorates the Latin poet born here in 65 BC. The statue of Horace and the square’s name celebrate the town’s connection with one of its most illustrious citizens: in his verses, the poet also recalled his Venosan origins.

Not far away stands the so-called House of Horace, one of the best-known sites in the historic centre. The name is traditional and evocative, but it is not certain that the building was actually the poet’s home: according to archaeological reconstructions, the visible remains belong to the bath rooms of a Roman domus, dating from the Imperial period, and therefore later than Horace’s birth. The structure preserves rooms of various shapes, including a semi-circular one, and bears witness to the presence of Roman buildings in ancient Venosa.

The square and Horace’s House thus illustrate two aspects of the town: the memory of the poet, who made Venosa famous throughout the Latin world, and the archaeological traces of its long Roman history.