Roman aristocrats often owned several of these villas in Italy, and visited each over the year to check on business and also to enjoy hunting, reading, writing and the rural life.

The farms on these estates typically produced lucrative crops that were sold to the cities including olives, grapes (for wine), and even game or other edible luxuries such as snails, fish, and small birds.

[5] The villa was built on large terraces created on the slope of Monte Cosce supported by two cryptoportici to give magnificent views over the region and the valley of the river Aia, and emphasise its grandeur to visitors.

At least 40 rooms belonging to the imperial Roman phase (post 30 BC) have been identified, most being residential with mosaic floors and painted wall plaster.

Repairs were made to many of the mosaic floors in antiquity; for example, a large area of damage to opus scutulatum in Room 8 was replaced by red and white tesserae arranged as in the original pattern.