A Roman villa was an agricultural estate made up of two distinct parts, the residential area or pars urbana and the pars rustica. In the former lived the lord of the villa (pater familias or dominus), while the latter housed the areas given over to the exploitation of the fundus, the territory belonging to the owner of the villa, who usually held major possessions of land, making up one large estate.
The archeological remains that can currently be visited at Veranes belong to the pars urbana of a large villa-type establishment built during the Late Empire (4th century AD) over the remains of an Early Roman Empire agricultural estate of considerable importance. This large manor house, which belonged to a dignitary who was must have been called Veranius, presents three different phases of reforms and architectural extensions that took place throughout the 4th century AD). The mansion remained in use up until the 5th century AD.
The site is structured in four terraces excavated into the hillside that cover an area of approximately one hectare. From a typological point of view, it can be defined as a linear-style villa with a multi-block gallery.
The main entrance to the villa is on the west side and gives access to the north courtyard. To the left of this is situated the services area (granary, kitchen and oven), and to the right, the entrance to the rest of the rooms. A long, covered colonnade or loggia leads to the function rooms located in the eastern sector of the complex reserved for social and political life.
To the south, there is a garden room or exedra, large dining room (triclinium), ending in an apse, and the baths (termae) occupying the southern front of the villa.
To the north, the most noteworthy rooms are the master bedroom (diaeta) and a rectangular nave preceding the main ceremonial reception room (oecus) or major function room paved with polychromatic mosaic. In this room, the lord of Veranes received his clients and public or private legates and exercised his dominion over people and lands at a level almost on a par to that of the emperor himself.
The configuration of these spaces allows us to suppose that the ceremonial path that visitors to the villa followed began at the entrance to the north patio, which led onto the large loggia or porch with southern exposure which led to the main reception rooms.
