It is just behind the Port, in the area where the aqueduct was later built.
It was recently discovered; the architect is the owner of the garden, Luigi Baffigi.
Luigi Baffigi all his life did the lighthouse watch. A singular profession, as he himself is a singular person. Full of interests, for construction, gardening, botany, the vegetable garden, the preparation of ancient preserves to which he adds a pinch of modern wisdom.
For many years – it has always been – an enormous oak grove had covered the upstream side of his garden – of one of his gardens, it would be better to say – behind the houses of the Port. One day he faced the enemy with shears and patience. It turned out this:
A ninfeo: a sacred building dedicated to a nymph,m placed near a water source.
It is a fountain, built on the natural slope of the ground, with arches, niches – there are three cavities – and a water collection tank at the base.
From the visible “lattice” – reticolo – construction, it can be traced back to the 1st century BC.
In some parts the malta , the lime and sand compound used as a binder, is still visible.
Luigi Baffigi is transforming the vegetable garden into a Mediterranean Garden, alternating spontaneous plants and cultivated plants. Who knows that one day it may be another attraction for the tourist.
At the moment this great little discovery makes me feel even more proud to be born here, a small island off the Tuscan coast of our wonderful Italy.
Marcella Ansaldo ©