The mosaics of the late antiquity residence

Introduction to the Route

Reconstruction of the events that gave rise to the dynamic architecture of the late antiquity residence and the investigation of its commissioner’s profile have, over time, animated studies conducted by historians and archaeologists, with a formulation of theories that leaves questions unsolved even today.
The itinerary invites us on a journey through time, in some rooms of the Villa Romana, to find revealed or hidden clues relating to the identity of the dominus, present in the iconographies of the mosaic ornaments in the public and private spaces.
Myth and reality merge seamlessly to represent the complexity of the life and activities of an individual of the highest rank, in the late Roman Empire, who skilfully reconciled power and philosophical reflection.

A hidden meaning

The mansio of Philosophiana. A stopping place

The senses tell the private entrance to the spa

The protagonists of the mosaic and the military themed frescoes

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

A dialogue between mythological and realistic scenes

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

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

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

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

The senses tell the monumental entrance

A line of armed men for an important Dominus

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

A small room embellished with marble

The senses tell the Vestibule

The protagonists of the mosaics

The public and private rooms of the villa

The senses tell the Tri-Apsed Triclinium

Worship of the Lares

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

A small room used as a privileged entrance to the baths

The Latifundium

The senses tell the Sacellum of the Lares

A view of the race from the imperial gallery

Solemn and majestic architecture to welcome a high-ranking commissioner

The paths of virus, a reflection of the Dominus

An individual who has attracted the attention of scholars

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

The senses tell the Quadrangular Peristyle

A day of hunting at the villa

The astral interpretation of the mosaic

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

The apotheosis of Hercules

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

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

The senses tell the frigidarium

The possible celebration of a solemn event

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

Form of greeting or ritual?

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

A royal room housed the Dominus during his audiences

Semi-public rooms

The mosaics of the late antiquity residence

The capture of wild animals for the roman amphitheatre games

The main nuclei of the Domus

An organic microcosm: the structure of the villa

The prestige of the dominus is revealed through the wall frescoes

The catalogue of animals

The rural sacrifice

Outdoor breakfast

An eloquent symbol: the signum

The senses tell the Bi-Apsed room

The senses tell the Basilica

An official ceremony to welcome the Dominus

The senses tell the massage room