Sacellum Larum

Auspicious symbols and perhaps the initials of the commissioner’s name decorate the mosaic of the apsidal room

The mosaic decoration of the sacellum larum has a broken meander cornice, which encloses a well-preserved polychrome geometric design, distinguished by an eight-pointed star.In the centre, a laurel wreath frames an ivy leaf, which in the past was considered to be a symbol of good luck. It is reminiscent of the undulating branch, with the same subject, present in the apse area.

One clue that might lead to the identity of the dominus is held in the naturalistic design of the leaf. If we look carefully, its stems end in two curls, from which depart on each side, with a decreasing rate, five oblique dashes which fork at the end to create a V.
The outline of an M with curved bars is seen, which together with the H of Hedera (ivy), could allude to the initials of the emperor Valerius Maximianus Herculius. This is the hypothesis suggested by some scholars, also because of a statue of Hercules in the apse of the sacellum .

The senses tell the private entrance to the spa

The senses tell the Bi-Apsed room

A royal room housed the Dominus during his audiences

The capture of wild animals for the roman amphitheatre games

The senses tell the Tri-Apsed Triclinium

The prestige of the dominus is revealed through the wall frescoes

The senses tell the frigidarium

The mansio of Philosophiana. A stopping place

The senses tell the room in the private apartment known as “small hunt”

High-ranking characters depicted in the mosaics of the apsidal niches of the frigidarium

The mosaics of the late antiquity residence

The astral interpretation of the mosaic

The main nuclei of the Domus

Semi-public rooms

The golden age: hypotheses about the villa’s period of construction and clues

An individual who has attracted the attention of scholars

A small room represents one of the activities of the thermal bath route

A small room used as a privileged entrance to the baths

Is the profile of the dominus hidden among the scenes depicted in the mosaics?

Solemn and majestic architecture to welcome a high-ranking commissioner

A line of armed men for an important Dominus

Outdoor breakfast

The realistic depiction of a spa procession with a high-ranking female figure

The senses tell the Vestibule

The senses tell the bi-apsed ambulatory – Corridor of the “Great Hunt”

The apotheosis of Hercules

The protagonists of the mosaics

The catalogue of animals

The marble from the regions of the empire to decorate the basilica

A dialogue between mythological and realistic scenes

An organic microcosm: the structure of the villa

Banquets and panegyrics enlivened the vast hall, against the background of a floor mosaic celebrating the feats of Hercules

Form of greeting or ritual?

The senses tell the Quadrangular Peristyle

An eloquent symbol: the signum

A hidden meaning

The protagonists of the mosaic and the military themed frescoes

The senses tell the monumental entrance

The senses tell the massage room

The senses tell the Basilica

A day of hunting at the villa

The possible celebration of a solemn event

Worship of the Lares

The senses tell the Sacellum of the Lares

A view of the race from the imperial gallery

The paths of virus, a reflection of the Dominus

The rural sacrifice

The late antiquity residence: locus amoenus and centre of administrative activities in the heart of Sicily

Auspicious symbols and perhaps the initials of the commissioner’s name decorate the mosaic of the apsidal room

An official ceremony to welcome the Dominus

The public and private rooms of the villa

A small room embellished with marble

A chariot race, set in the circus Maximus of Rome, connects the villa to the city and centre of power

The Latifundium

A large colonnaded portico, a place of connection between the rooms