PECILE

A large artificial terrace which rises 15 m above the surface on its western side, this structure served two purposes. The western side ("Centum Camerelle," or "The Hundred Chambers") consisted of four stories of rooms with wooden floors accessible from wood balconies connected by concrete stairs. The rooms provided storage spaces as well as living quarters for the villa's service staff. In contrast, the upper level was a quadriporticus-garden with long covered walkways (1,2,3) delimiting a garden (4) in whose center was a piscina. The purpose of the upper level was to provide an all-weather space for the ambulatio, or daily walk.