Villa of Pliny at Laurentum
Site of Pliny the Younger’s seaside villa near ancient Laurentum, southwest of Rome. Cal Newport uses Pliny’s letter about it to praise seclusion.
At a glance
| Source | Author | Role | In one line |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pliny the Younger on Happy and Honorable Seclusion | calnewport.com | setting | Pliny’s letter praises Laurentum as a place free of gossip and distraction where he reads, writes and exercises. |
Pliny the Younger on Happy and Honorable Seclusion — calnewport.com (2023)
Source: Original · Readwise highlight
It turns out that Pliny maintained a rambling villa on the sea, southwest of Rome.
- Role: setting
- In the article: Pliny’s letter praises Laurentum as a place free of gossip and distraction where he reads, writes and exercises. The article describes his seaside villa, with a separate Retreat reached by a covered arcade and shaped like a Greek cross so he could follow the light while writing. Pliny calls the sea and shore his private Helicon.
- Why it matters: The villa is the concrete place where Pliny’s seclusion for focused work happened.