## 3 The Virtual Reconstructions of the Villas
### Sirmione: \"Grotte di Catullo\"
#### 3.1.2 Reconstructive Hypothesis  
The villa project was conceived in a unitary and coherent manner, in strict relation to the surrounding lake landscape, as evidenced by the chosen location and the presence of large open spaces, terraces, and panoramic viewpoints. For this reason, and due to the current state of preservation described above, the focus of the reconstruction, which concerned the 1 st century AD villa exclusively, was on the exteriors, for which a fundamental reconstruction hypothesis had already been proposed in the past [3]. For this virtual reality project, the interior spaces selected were the cryptoporticus (104a, Figure 8) and  
Figure 8: Two-dimensional reconstructive plans of the villa “Grotte di Catullo” in Sirmione (Fismametta Soriano). the largest room in the southern sector (room 88, Figure 8), probably a _triclinium_, which presents fragments of well-preserved mosaic flooring. The exterior of the villa (Figure 2) is characterised by the substructures, reconstructed based on the extensively preserved archaeological evidence in the northern sector. The walls were plastered white, as attested by some preserved fragments in the substructural rooms of the same sector. In the northern sector overlooking the lake, the building was characterised on the upper level by a large belvedere terrace that occupied the entire front part. Terraces also ran along the long sides of the complex. The pavement was in _opus spicatum_, partly still preserved above the vaults of the northeast corner of the villa [3]. Collapsed blocks of pavement (Figure 9) have also been found in the western and northern sectors. The discovery of two stone elements (Figure 10), similar to those found in amphitheatres and theatres to support the poles of the _velarium_, has allowed us to hypothesise the presence of a temporary covering as protection from the sun [3; 19]. The large terrace was then characterised by a belvedere room [3], the existence of which is hypothesised based on the presence of a substructural room on the lower level, which suggests its dimensions [20]. For the reconstruction of the elevation of this room, the main source was the comparison with pictorial representations of villas [21], which often testify to similar temple-shaped structures, with a facade consisting of four columns supporting a pediment and a double-sloping roof. Porticoed spaces (Figure 11) were located alongside the terraces, situated at a higher level, defined by the still preserved segment of the vault above the northern corridor of the intermediate level. The northern portico (139b, Figure 8) assumed the dimensions of the corridor below (139, Figure 8), presenting itself as a _porticus simplex_. On the long sides,  
Figure 10: Blocks of opus spicatum ([PERSON]). Figure 9: Supports of the velarium ([PERSON]). the portico (101, 104b Figure 8) had a double width equal to that of the cryptoporticus present at the intermediate level (104a, Figure 8) on the western side, which also performed a structural function. On both sides, semi-circular _exedrae_ opened, still preserved on the eastern side. The discovery of capitals, bases, and shafts and the study of the collapse dynamics of the pieces have allowed us to formulate the hypothesis that it was a _porticus duplex_ with an external Corinthian colonnade and an internal Ionic one [22]. The core of the columns was made of quarter-circle bricks or soft yellowish limestone blocks covered with stucco. The height was reconstructed by applying Vitruvian modules, as was the intercolumniation, in a ratio of 1:2 between the outer and inner colonnade. The capitals belonging to the portico were directly modelled only in their main components; the more elaborate ornamental elements were applied in stucco, directly painted on the stone, or with a whitewash coating [22]. The central part of the villa, which did not yield any evidence of wall or floor structures, has been identified as a large courtyard, approximately 4000 square metres in size.