©MarinaDeFranceschini - Progetto Accademia
From the Poecile to the Small Baths
The Imperial Residence is a complex of buildings located in the center of Hadrian's Villa; they were built together at the same time, are closely connected.
In practice they had all the elements of the Roman domus: atrium, inner garden, triclinium, thermal plant, and a residential area exclusively meant for the emperor, also equipped with a system for winter heating.
See the section «Interpretation of Villa Adriana - The Imperial Residence» (a discussion on this subject in De Franceschini 1991, pp. 541-546).
The Imperial Residence consists of the Poecile (n. 28) which was at an altitude of 90 m. and rested on the enormous substructures known as the Hundred Chambers (Cento Camerelle) (n. 29). From the north-east corner of the Poecile the Hall of the Philosophers (n. 30) was accessed with two symmetrical stairs up to an altitude of 93 m.
On the south side of the Poecile there was a monumental curvilinear atrium, i.e. the Building with Three Exedras (n. 31); and then there was an inner garden with porticoes, nymphaea and tricliniums, i.e. the Garden Stadium (n. 32) slightly higher, m. 96.
Then there was the Winter Palace (n. 33), with the nearby Hanging Gardens (n. 34) both located on a higher level, m. 100, which overlooked the other buildings from above.
The complex had its own thermal plant, the Small Baths (n. 36) which were accessed via the Quadriporticus (n. 35), that linked their different orientation.
The Building with Three Exesdras, and the Small Baths are partly visible .The Garden Stadium and the lower floor of the Winter Palace with its great Cryptoporticus are closed.