Villae: between landscape transformation and power representation

Between the early 1st century BCE and the Augustan era, the greatest proliferation of villas took place in the regions of Tyrrhenian Italy, both inland and along the coast. During this period, the landscape underwent profound changes as it was 'tamed' by the Roman elite, who transformed natural environments into settings suitable for displaying their political and economic power. The selection of sites of exceptional scenic value required sophisticated architectural projects aimed at reshaping the environment: from the construction of monumental residences and extensive gardens to the creation of impressive seafront facades with docks, harbours and fishponds. This architectural and landscaping investment in the villas reflected the owners' desire to assert a prestige that was limited within the urban dimension by spatial and moral constraints. In fact, historical sources mention only exceptional cases of urban constructions that openly challenged late Republican conventions. Rural and coastal areas, on the other hand, offered the freedom to build residences comparable to those of the Hellenistic rulers who were defeated and subjugated by the Republic, but at the same time emulated in the visual expression of power. Through the analysis of case studies from central Tyrrhenian Italy, studied by phases and complemented by new reconstruction proposals, this paper aims to show how members of the Roman aristocracy developed an innovative architectural language as early as the 1st century BC, directly inspired by Hellenistic royal models. These villas were designed not only with a view to their integration into the natural landscape, but above all to their radical transformation: the final result was a tangible demonstration of the power and ambition of individuals who had firmly established their dominance over the entire Mediterranean.