The archaeological site of Veleia Romana lies about 11km south of the unbelievably picturesque medieval hill town of Castell’ Arquata in the foothills of the Apennines. Mentioned by Pliny as a town of the eighth region, it was unknown until 1747, when ploughmen found the ‘ Tabula alimentaria’ - a 1.3m x 2.8m bronze tablet inscribed with a list of estates in the territories of Veleia, Libarna, Placentia, Parma and Luca, assigned by Trajan in the 1st Century AD.

Excavations in the 18th Century uncovered the forum and basilica, baths and the amphitheatre, private houses and statues. The most recent dateable find was from 276 AD after which the settlement appears to have been abandoned. The theory that it was destroyed by a landslip is not supported by archaeological evidence.

The route from Castell to Veleia involves narrow roads with frequent hairpin bends. There in there is an easier route from the valley to the north-west. This is a quiet corner of Italy that you probably wouldn’t go to for any other reason. The landscape sometimes feels like you’ve taken a wrong turn and ended up in Switzerland. The site is shut on Mondays. Bizarrely, the information boards on the site refer to the amphitheatre as a ‘water reservoir’. It is clearly no such thing.