The Panoramic pavilion of the Praetorium is built on very high substructures, and has a magnificent view towards the Canopus. It was part of the noble quarters where the emperor lived, and was accessed on the east side from the Hanging Gardens of the Winter Palace, with a stair that still exists. For over fifteen years it has been closed to the public
The Praetorium Panoramic Pavilion is one of the lesser known buildings of the Villa. The rooms are very large, there are still some frescoes and traces of the marble once revetting its walls. In some rooms there are large square where marble reliefs had to be placed. The pavements were in opus sectile, but only the impressions of the marble slabs are left.
The Pavilion was partly damaged by the american bombings of the Second World War. In the western part, however, it has been preserved for a considerable height and on the outside you can still see the pilasters that decorated the wall and remains of plaster, something practically unique in the Villa.
The Praetorium Substructures, on the other hand, were intended for slaves, and were built like the Hundred Chambers under the Poecile. They were divided into several floors by wooden mezzanines. Those rooms were accessed with several flights of stairs located on the west side of the Substructures, which are used for storing archaeological finds and were never opened to the public.
The Pavilion opens to the south towards the Praetorium Esplanade, a vast garden almost 300 meters long, probably decorated with water basins and fountains.
It has never been explored nor excavated and a large part of it is privately owned. The public part is covered by a dense Mediterranean scrub, and has a large retaining wall with buttresses towards the Canopus.
The Praetorium Esplanade runs along the eastern side of the Canopus Valley and is delimited by a powerful retaining wall with large comb-shaped buttresses, the height of which varies following the shape of the hill.