Horace's Villa. 19th-century artwork of the ruins of a site near Tivoli, Italy, identified as Horace's Villa. Horace (Quintus Horatius Flaccus, 65 BC-8 BC), one of the most famous Roman poets, living during the period of transition from the Roman Republic to the Roman Empire. He had several villas. The most famous, lost for centuries, was identified using references in his poetry. Located in the Aniene Valley of the Lucretili Mountains, near the town of Licenza, it was partially excavated in the 18th century. Further excavations took place in the 20th century. Artwork from 'Histoire des Romains' (Victor Duruy, 1883).