A community hall, a few pubs, a post office, from the outside Caerwent, just north of Chepstow, looks like your typical tiny village just off the beaten track. But delve a little deeper and amidst the terraced houses and playing fields you may just come across some of Europe's most preserved Roman ruins. A well kept secret, the now modern village was actually formed thousands of years ago and at one point served as a settlement for the Silures - a native tribe who became Romanised following the conquest of Britain.
It is believed the modest village was ounded by the Romans as the market town of Venta Silurum in around AD 75-80, with remnants still available to see today. Often overshadowed by its neighbour Caerleon (one of the UK's most well known Roman towns), Caerwent still has a remarkable - and fairly unknown - history of its own. So much so, that it has some of the best-preserved ancient structures in Europe, with over a mile of the original walls still remaining.
READ MORE Welsh beach dubbed 'UK's most beautiful' with clear blue sea and idyllic views DON'T MISS: Islands like the Caribbean which are just 200 miles from Wales In its prime, it is thought that the village was home to around 3000 settlers who build livelihoods in Monmouthshire , mere miles from the Welsh border. Historians who have analysed the left over ruins believe that the village likely had all the facilities you might expect in a 'civilised' Roman town; a combination forum and basilica complex, public .