As well as being a place of otium for the hunting parties of the dominus and his family, the wood surrounding the villa was home to lush vegetation consisting of a wide variety of tree species of which useful evidence has been found even today, thanks to specific research.
They are realistically represented in this room’s mosaic floor and, if we think back in time, we can almost smell the caramelised scent of the holm oaks and the aromatic fruits of the carob and juniper trees. The intense smell of resins and incense, burnt on the altar in front of the effigy of Diana, spreads through the air as if to underline the importance of the propitiatory rite that accompanied the art of hunting. The scene in the central part of the mosaic conveys to the observer the tranquillity of an open-air banquet, imbued with the spicy smells coming from the table and the equally pleasant smells of the food in the baskets.
