The site was rediscovered and explored as early as 1596, but it was not recognized as the Villa of Livia until the 19th century. In 1863–1864, a marble
krater carved in refined low relief was discovered at the site. On 20 April 1863, the famous heroic marble statue of Augustus, the
Augustus of Prima Porta, was found at the villa; it is now in the
Vatican Museums (
Braccio Nuovo). The magisterial
Augustus is a marble copy of a bronze statue that celebrated the return in 20 BC of the military standards captured by the
Parthians in 53 BC after the defeat of
Crassus at
Carrhae. In the 19th century, the villa belonged to the Convent of Santa Maria in Via Lata. The villa and gardens have been excavated and can be visited. There are three vaulted subterranean rooms, the largest of which contained superb illusionistic
frescoes of garden views in which all the plants and trees flower and fruit at once. These have since been removed to Rome, where, following cleaning and restoration, they have been reinstalled in the
Palazzo Massimo. The vault above the fresco was covered with stucco reliefs, some of which survive. A new series of more meticulous modern excavations was initiated in 1970. More modern scientific work began at the site in 1995, carried out by the Soprintendenza Archeologica di Roma and directed by Professor Gaetano Messineo, in tandem with the
Swedish Institute in Rome. == Garden Room Fresco ==