Context - The Villa

The public rooms of the Villa

The sequence of the official places unfolds from the monumental entrance towards the vestibule and the southern part of the quadrangular peristyle to the biapsidal corridor of the “great hunt”, which serves as a narthex, or place of passage, for those who had to access the most imposing and important space of this vast work of architecture, the basilica , reserved for meetings.The refinement of the marble materials that covered the walls and the opus sectile paving undoubtedly recalls its function of reception, as can be seen on the walls of other areas of the villa not used by the family.
The large biapsidal corridor depicting scenes of capturing exotic animals to be brought to Rome for the venationes also serves as a link between the quarters of the basilica, the peristyle and the triapsidal triclinium . The orderly succession of rooms such as the peristyle, the biapsidal corridor and the basilica generally imply imperial palaces, but can also be identified in private villas, such as that of Patti , in Sicily, where an apsidal hall  opens directly onto the peristyle.

The Mansio of Sophiana

The public rooms of the Villa

The layout of the rooms

The room of the seasons

A room dedicated to the sea

A dignified setting dedicated to the myth of Arion

The myth of Orpheus

The Latifundium

Date Clues

The Mansio, a stopping place

Pars Fructuaria e Pars Rustica

The Peristyle of the Villa

A large banquet hall

A decoration that marks time

The composition of the spaces