VILLA, a farm or country-house. The Roman writers mention two kinds
of villa, the _villa rustica_ or farm-house, and the _villa urbana_
or _pseudo-urbana_, a residence in the country or in the suburbs of
a town. When both of these were attached to an estate they were
generally united in the same range of buildings, but sometimes
they were placed at different parts of the estate. The interior
arrangements of the _villa urbana_ corresponded for the most part to
those of a town-house. [DOMUS.]
VILLĬCUS, a slave who had the superintendence of the _villa rustica_,
and of all the business of the farm, except the cattle, which were
under the care of the _magister pecoris_. The word was also used
to describe a person to whom the management of any business was
entrusted.
VĪNĀLĬA. There were two festivals of this name celebrated by the
Romans: the _Vinalia urbana_ or _priora_, and the _Vinalia rustica_
or _altera_. The vinalia urbana were celebrated on the 23rd of April,
when the wine-casks which had been filled the preceding autumn
were opened for the first time, and the wine tasted. The rustic
vinalia, which fell on the 19th of August, and was celebrated by
the inhabitants of all Latium, was the day on which the vintage was
opened. On this occasion the flamen dialis offered lambs to Jupiter,
and while the flesh of the victims lay on the altar, he broke with
his own hands a bunch of grapes from a vine, and by this act he, as
it were, opened the vintage, and no must was allowed to be conveyed
into the city until this solemnity was performed. This day was sacred
to Jupiter, and Venus too appears to have had a share in it.