The Villa of Livia lies at Prima Porta, about 7.5 miles (12 kilometers) north of Rome along the Via Flaminia. Livia Drusilla likely received the site as part of her dowry or as a gift when she married Octavian in 39 BC. The villa was built and modified in nine phases from the late Republic to the sixth century AD and remained an imperial residence after Livia.
Its best-known feature is the Garden Room, a semi-underground, barrel-vaulted room about 40 by 20 feet (12 by 6 meters). Its walls are covered floor to ceiling with garden frescoes showing 24 species of plants. The sky is painted with Egyptian blue, a rare and costly pigment. The statue of Augustus of Prima Porta was found here on April 20, 1863.
The frescoes were removed, restored and are now displayed at the Palazzo Massimo museum in Rome. The villa and gardens can be visited.
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