## 3 The Virtual Reconstructions of the Villas
### Desenzano: Roman Villa
#### 3.2.2. Reconstructive Hypothesis  
Sector A is composed of a series of spaces dedicated to the reception of visitors and the projection of status, arranged along a single main axis; the levels of architectural and decorative complexity increase as one moves along this axis from east to west. In sequence, we find (Figure 23) an entrance with an octagonal plan (room 1), a courtyard with a portico (peristyle, room 2), an _atrium_ with two apes (\"forcipe\", room 3), and a magnificent three-apsed hall, called a _trichora_, intended for convivium (room 4). The axis ends with a _viridarium_, a garden closed to the west by a _nymphaeum_, where water flowed from niches forming a splendid architectural backdrop (room 5). The latter environment, not directly accessible from the preceding reception rooms, had a predominantly private character reserved for the master and selected guests. On the south side of the garden, there were rooms that constituted the summer apartment of the _dominus_, characterised by two _cubicula_ with octagonal and hexagonal plans and an apsidal vestibule (rooms 6-8). From the peristyle, other rooms could be accessed; it is possible to recognise, in the rooms opening along the south side, the winter apartment of the _dominus_ (rooms 10-12) with a private _balneum_ (rooms 13-14), while on the north side were various service rooms. All rooms were richly decorated with mosaic floors featuring geometric patterns or scenes evoking daily life activities or allegorical figures; for example, we find scenes of cherubs fishing (room 3), scenes alluding to the themes of banquet and Dionysian revelry (room 4), scenes evoking the seasons (room 10), and, finally, a panel depicting a male  
Figure 23. Orthophoto of Sector A ([PERSON], [PERSON]). figure accompanied by a dog and a sheep (room 11), probably referring to the image of the _dominus_. Naturally, the walls were also adorned with lively frescoes, and although the walls do not survive beyond one metre in height, it is still possible to glimpse fragments of the socles [4]. Virtual reconstruction has involved the five representational environments along the main axis, from the entrance to the _viridarium_ (Figure 24). Taking into account the archaeological data and published documentation, including comparative data with nearby contexts for chronology and function, it was possible to obtain a reconstruction of the elevations and interiors that is as Philologically faithful as possible. The succession of environments characterised by complex and different floor plans, as in this case, provides an insight into the development of the elevation; from the outside, the complex must have appeared as a juxtaposition of volumes whose different shapes and heights allowed the functional and hierarchical articulation of the environments to be recognised at first glance. The first environment, hypothetically the entrance, had an octagonal plan that must have appeared on the outside as a tall turret, emerging on the lakeside landscape to emphasize the prestige of the building [35]. From there, one entered the peristyle, where it was possible to walk on mosaic floors with geometric motifs along the four sides of the portico. In line with the entrance, on the opposite side of the peristyle, there were formal reception spaces. The first was an _atrium_, a room for welcoming guests, characterised by two lateral apses, decorated with a mosaic with a coloured scale motif, while the central part was marked by four panels representing scenes of cupids fishing from boats and rocks. Two of these panels face the peristyle, while the others look into the next room, to accommodate both the entrance and exit paths. Guests were then invited to participate in the banquet. The convivial moment was characterised by greater luxury and splendour and represented one of the main methods of self-presentation of the _dominus_.