The catalog looks back over 20 years of research on Hadrian's Villa and at the most recent interesting discoveries and reconstruction work. For the first time some of the greatest masterpieces of classical antiquity, scattered in many different museums, have been studied and illustrated in their original setting
The book is being published to mark the return of some of the finest Ancient sculptures to their rightful place among the elegant buildings of this Imperial ‘city’, like the famous ‘Red Faun’. Found during several excavations conducted in the area of the Villa, over the centuries, they were taken off to enhance the collections of some of the most important museums in Italy and Europe. More than 20 essays, written by leading experts, describe the state of the art after 20 years of study, and are summarized by an outstanding interpreter in the form of Andrea Carandini. The subjects range from the Ancient image of the Villa from the point of view of archeology, architecture and landscape, to the structure of the buildings themselves, the sculptural and mosaic decoration, even Hadrian’s relationship with Egypt. Much space is devoted to the presentation of new discoveries emerging from current research, which are opening up new research prospects for the future.