Roman towns spread beyond the walled areas to encompass a territory or ager that provided them with basic resources, most importantly food. In the areas nearest Tarraco, numerous villas and productive establishments with diverse uses and functions were built, especially on the fertile plains on the right bank of the River Francolí.
The villa was normally the main building of a rural property or fundus, where agricultural production was centralized (presses, surplus produce storage, accommodation for slaves, workshops, etc.). The villa also had a residential area for the owners or tenant farmers. In these complexes we also find potteries that made ceramic vessels, building materials and, above all, amphoras for transporting surpluses of wine, oil, conserves, etc.
In addition to these villas, which were linked mainly to the exploitation of agricultural resources, there were large luxurious residential villas designed for the rest and relaxation of the wealthiest and aristocratic classes. They offered life in the countryside without foregoing the pleasures of the urbs: luxurious dining rooms (triclinia), spectacular baths complexes (balnea) and a whole series of areas and rooms designed to make the villa a pleasurable place for relaxation.
