The village, located in the Porto Conte Bay, is the oldest Phonecian maritime port of call, and of the Levant populations in general, not only in northern Sardinia, but in the whole of the island. Only around the XIV century B.C., between IX and VIII century it become the hub for important traffic from the eastern world, as witnessed by rare imported Greek and Phonecian ceramics, as well as amphoras containing bronze ingots ready to be melted.

The Nuragic site, nestled in the middle of the most important commercial routes of the time, visited by Phonecians, Etruscans and Greeks, remained a busy hub up until the end of the VII century B.C., when fate would have it that it would suffer a calamitous fall when the Phonecians changed their relations with the Nuragic population and at the same time established its own colonies in the southwest of the island.

Archeological investigations, still being carried out, have revealed that S. Imbenia was a hub of great importance in the western Mediterranean.

Just a few meters from the Nuraghic settlement S.Imbenia can be found the remains the Villa Romana (Roman Village) of Porto Conte. It is a typical Villa built for “ozio' (leisure) of the owner and for exploitation of the rich agricultural and marine resources. 

The plan is broken down into two main buildings: the residential part containing richly decorated rooms (frescos, stucco, mosaics, marble tiling) and the so-called rustica (rural) part, utilized for service areas (warehouses, servants' lodging, kitchens, etc.). To the north are located the remains of a thermal bath divided in the usual rooms for the care of the body (calidarium, tepidarium and frigidarium).

The entire complex is situated in a famous part of the Porto Conto Bay called the by the Romans “Portus Nympharum'.

How to get there: from the port, along the coastline, you take the “Lungomare Barcellona' via “Lido' and “Viale 1°Maggio', continuing along the “strada statale 127 bis', which leads to Fertilia. After you pass the town on the right, carry on toward Porto Conte-Capo Caccia. At the “Fontana di S. Igori' fork, go right toward Capo Caccia, continuing along the coastal road. The archeological area is about 50 m past Hotel Baia di Conte

Hours: currently visited by appointment (for groups of 4 people).