Triapsidal triclinium

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

Brought to light in 1935, after the basilica hall, the building is considered the most regal and eloquent of the late antiquity residence for the dynamism and sumptuousness of its architecture, consisting of three large apses .The hall’s role of reception already stands out from the staircase, covered in marble, enriched by two central columns in grey marble, which introduce the entrance.The large space served as the official dining room of the dominus and would have been furnished with stibadia , probably placed under the apsidal vaults .
In the area delimited by the central square,dances and concerts took place during the symposia that may well have taken place with the flair of the famous Trimalchio’s feast described by Petronius. During the banquets and symposia, panegyrics were recited, celebratory speeches in honour of great feats, which closely recall the mythological mosaics of the vast hall, in which the labours of the gods and heroes were exalted.
These are a heroic celebration of the villa’s commissioner, through a stylistic expressionismthat differs from the rest of the rooms, vestiboloprobably because it was built by different teams of master mosaicists, at a later time than the primary nucleus surrounding the quadrangular peristyle .

An eloquent symbol: the signum

The apotheosis of Hercules

A royal room housed the Dominus during his audiences

The possible celebration of a solemn event

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

A view of the race from the imperial gallery

A day of hunting at the villa

The senses tell the Quadrangular Peristyle

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

Semi-public rooms

The astral interpretation of the mosaic

The senses tell the Bi-Apsed room

The mosaics of the late antiquity residence

Worship of the Lares

The senses tell the Basilica

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

The senses tell the Tri-Apsed Triclinium

The prestige of the dominus is revealed through the wall frescoes

The capture of wild animals for the roman amphitheatre games

The senses tell the monumental entrance

An official ceremony to welcome the Dominus

An organic microcosm: the structure of the villa

A line of armed men for an important Dominus

A small room used as a privileged entrance to the baths

The paths of virus, a reflection of the Dominus

The senses tell the frigidarium

The senses tell the private entrance to the spa

A hidden meaning

Outdoor breakfast

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

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

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

The mansio of Philosophiana. A stopping place

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

The catalogue of animals

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

The senses tell the Sacellum of the Lares

A dialogue between mythological and realistic scenes

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

Solemn and majestic architecture to welcome a high-ranking commissioner

The senses tell the Vestibule

The rural sacrifice

An individual who has attracted the attention of scholars

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

A small room embellished with marble

Form of greeting or ritual?

The protagonists of the mosaic and the military themed frescoes

The senses tell the massage room

The main nuclei of the Domus

The protagonists of the mosaics

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

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

The Latifundium

The public and private rooms of the villa

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