The portico is located in Regio III of ancient Rome, which is named for a sanctuary of Isis in the area, and includes parts of the Esquiline and Oppian hills.

[1] The structure was built on the estate of a rich freedman named Publius Vedius Pollio, who left his house and land to Augustus upon his death.

[2] To the north of the portico, a basilica was built in late antiquity (San Martino ai Monti), although there are remains of a Roman building below it that some say was a house-church on the property of an early Christian named Equitius.

[4] Livia alone received credit for the Ara Concordia, which was dedicated separately from the portico on June 11, the feast day of Mater Matuta.

The portico included gardens, walking space, and works of art such as paintings, creating a luxurious and leisurely area.

[1][3] Archaeological excavations in 1984 show that the portico was almost completely destroyed; the only evidence that remains is the rough floor levels and later burials on the site.

Ovid's description in his Fasti emphasizes Livia's piety in dedicating the Ara Concordia, as well as the significance of Augustus replacing a luxurious private house.

[7] Suetonius lists it in his Lives of the Caesars as one of the monuments that Augustus built on behalf of his family members (along with the portico of Octavia, the theatre of Marcellus, and others).

In Book 54 of his work he criticizes the character of Vedius Pollio, describing him as so wealthy and so cruel that he threw his slaves into a pool of carnivorous eels if they displeased him.