The Canopus was a large monumental Triclinium where the emperor Hadrian received his guests "in great style".
In Pompeii and in several villas of the Roman aristocrats Triclinia were found. They were dining rooms, richly decorated and frescoed, equipped with beds for diners. Next to the triclinia there were bedrooms (cubicula) for resting, and cool, airy corridors for walking: the Cryptoporticoes.
Villa Adriana was no exception and followed the same pattern, but on a monumental scale.

The masonry triclinium bed – the Stibadium – was placed in the center of the large hall covered with an umbrella vault, which simulated a cave. The Stibadium was much larger than usual, crescent-shaped; dozens of guest could dine there, lying on cushions and surrounded by fountains and waterworks.
Guests were entertained by the sound of music and theatrical performances. All around precious marbles, mosaics on the vault and niches decorated with sculptures.
Behind the Stibadium, in an elevated and safe position, was the place where the emperor was staying, a sort of royal box.

Inside the Canopus building, on the back side of the domed hall, there were severa cool rooms intended for rest and also single latrines.
On the west side, a large room has been perfectly preserved, with holes in the vault, which are the oculi for lighting.
It was excavated in the 1950’s by Aurigemma together with the rest of the building; it is also known from ancient engravings and photographs. It has always been used as a warehouse and storage room for various finds, and unfortunately was never opened to the public.
This vast room was originally a Cryptoporticus, very cool in summer, where banquet guests could walk and rest, as was in the House of the Cryptoporticus in Pompeii.

Until the 1960’s, the ceiling still had the original frescoes, with large rectangular panels surrounded by red and yellow bands, which are documented by a few images. Unfortunately, the frescoes were detached and mounted on frames, as was frequently done at that time, also with some frescoes in the West Substructures of the Canopus. For a few decades they were stacked in a large room of the Great Baths, where they remained until the end of the last century; then they were moved elsewhere.