Prior to the arrival of the construction crews, the villa site was still the exclusive domain of archaeologists. Archaeological interventions and site drawings were still regular occurrences. Sondage trenches were opened at the boundaries of the ruins, where construction would take place, and discoveries were made.
Within the site, the vestiges were covered with a protective layer of gravel, which could easily be removed with a pump truck. With the surface prepared, the materials could be brought in, and permission granted for mechanical equipment to be put in place. The archaeological impact of the work was kept to a minimum: holes for some fifteen micro-columns were drilled, occupying less than 10 sq. metres for a building with a surface area of 1,000 sq. metres. The structures resting on these foundations were all above ground or set in embankments.
Beneath the newly-positioned roof, various contractors carried out specialised tasks. Small stones set in lime mortar were used to fill in gaps left in walls by ancient treasure-hunters, thus giving fresh impetus to the ground plane of the Late Antique residence. Under the leadership of Manuel Sanz, a hypocaust chamber in an apse was consolidated, with some bricks being replaced by similarly-shpaed modern elements. The restoration workshop was last of all, and reinstalled the restored mosaics.
