The 2013 campaign on the site of San Giovanni, situated at the eastern end of the coastal plain of the same name, continued excavation of the pars rustica of the villa delle Grotte, begun the previous year.
The first campaign at San Giovanni intended to check for the presence of ancient kilns for the reduction of iron ore that are attested by a conspicuous literary tradition and archive documents. However, the excavation did not reveal the remains of any such kilns, which may still be buried below the occupation layers that were unexpectedly revealed.

During the 2012 campaign, two trenches, 12 × 6 and 6 × 8 m, were opened in areas that had produced the most anomalies. The 2013 season continued work in the first trench where the remains of a large building had emerged, with a substantial layer formed by the collapse of the roof and pisé walls. Five rooms were uncovered. In room III, interpreted as a sort of vast open courtyard, five large dolia defossa, used for completing the fermentation of wine or for its conservation, were excavated.

At the same time, two smaller trenches were dug to investigate the site’s extension, which revealed substantial masonry remains and collapsed walls. Based on the study of the pottery finds and the tile and dolia stamps, the building at San Giovanni appears to date to the first half of the 1st century B.C. and was abandoned following a fire in the 1st century A.D. that baked the clay structures, thus preserving them.
This large complex was the pars rustica of the Villa delle Grotte, situated on the adjacent promontory, excavated in the 1960s, and thought to be part of the estates of the gens Valeria.