GIOCHI D’ACQUA PER L’IMPERATORE: DECLINAZIONE DELL’ACQUA A SCOPO ORNAMENTALE A VILLA ADRIANA

Hadrian’s Villa is a place rich with fountains, reflective pools, and nymphaea. This palace, inspired by Hellenistic art, is a unique example of design that inseparably binds art, architecture, and the natural environment. Water here played several roles: it was decorative, it created scenic effects in exclusive places of the imperial residence, and then it had the function of mitigating summer heat. Recent studies, with the help of digital technology, have confirmed and sometimes clarified the intricate sophistication of Hadrian’s Villa’s many buildings, which are characterized by complex water systems. The themes in the architectural decoration, the subjects and spatial arrangement of the sculptural furniture, and the overall layout of each pavilion are all designed to impress and entertain the emperor’s guests and control how they experienced the space. Some examples of scenic nymphaea will be shown to illustrate how water was used to manage the climate, especially in areas meant for socializing, or to create a sensory divider between the imperial areas and the guests, or even to separate the service quarters