Description
It is one of the oldest buildings in Villa Adriana: it belonged to the ancient republican villa which was later incorporated into the Hadrianic buildings.
The access was modified by Hadrian period, and was from the Courtyard of the Libraries with the corridors CM4 and CM6. Then there were two other stairs to the upper floor, i.e. from the current Imperial Palace with corridors CM1 and CM2.
The Cryptoporticus CM3 is rectangular (27.60 x 17.50 m) with four subterranean corridors a-b-c-d, covered by barrel vaults, which receive light from the outside through window-tunnels.
The walls are in opus incertum, and were built at the time of Sulla (II-I century BC). The floor was made of very small white tesserae.
The ancient mosaic ceiling
In the corridor of the Cryptoporticus 3a, one of the oldest mosaic ceilings of the Roman era is still in situ; it dates back to a later time, to the time of Caesar (1st century BC).
The mosaic is made with flakes of marble, glass paste and shells arranged on a painted background.
It had a series of concentric frames with peltas, squares alternating with rectangles in which birds that have now disappeared were depicted, and then garlands and vegetal motifs. In the center was a circle surrounded by flowers and birds.
It has been restored and cleaned up and there are still traces of color.
The Nymphaeum with a fountain