Villa Romana del Casale, Piazza Armerina, Italy

The Villa Romana del Casale is a large and elaborate Roman villa or palace located about 3 km from Piazza Armerina. Excavations have revealed one of the richest, largest, and varied collections of Roman mosaics in the world, for which the site has been designated as a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

The mosaic and opus sectile floors cover some 3,500 sq metres and are almost unique in their excellent state of preservation due to the landslide and floods that covered the remains.

Although less well-known, an extraordinary collection of frescoes covered not only the interior rooms, but also the exterior walls.

The visible remains of the villa were constructed in the first quarter of the 4th century AD on the remains of an older villa rustica, which are the pars dominica, or master’s residence, of a large latifundium or agricultural estate.

The owner's identity has long been discussed and many different hypotheses have been formulated. Some features such as the Tetrarchic military insignia and the probable Tetrarchic date of the mosaics have led scholars to suggest an imperial owner such as Maximian. However, scholars now believe that the villa was the centre of the great estate of a high-level senatorial aristocrat.

References:

Wikipedia

User Reviews

Jason Perce (3 months ago)
This villa is a great visit! I have seen a few Roman Villas around the Med and this is one of the best preserved. The scale of the villa is clear to see which gives a great insight into the owner’s wealth and how they lived. The information is great. They have built a walkway above the rooms/mosaics which was an excellent way to take it all in. Would definitely recommend visiting. We visited on the drive from Palermo to Noto and it was a perfect stop for that drive. We visited in late December in the late afternoon and it was very quiet.

K. Ch (3 months ago)
Villa Romana del Casale in Piazza Armerina is one of the most beautiful places I have ever visited. The mosaics are amazing and show a lot about the culture and lifestyle from over 2000 years ago. They are so detailed that you can clearly imagine how life was in Roman times. The art and design of the villa are impressive and give a unique look into history. It’s a place full of beauty and meaning, and I highly recommend visiting it.

binnie binnie (6 months ago)
Reportedly, this has some of the best examples of Roman mosaic floors in the world. They're certainly well preserved in the most part. The walk through involves stairs and gallery viewing which seems a very sensible way of both being able to see everything and preserve the floors. It's very busy! I dread to think what it's like in high season. There's not a lot else to see here, but it's worth making the time to visit. I would recommend a guide.

Joseph Grilli (6 months ago)
It is one of the best preserved and most impressive mosaic displays in the world (thanks to local geography). It gets continually more impressive. Everything about it is amazing and is totally worth coming in from the coast. They made so many animals on mosaic due to the historical links that they ended up just making new mythical ones!

Roberto Belchior (7 months ago)
Spectacular sample of well preserved huge roman mosaics. The visit is done through some narrow passageways that get crowded with a host of tourist buses, even on a quiet Monday of September. The way to the site can be tricky on a stormy day, with floods and mud in the way, as experienced by us. The site offers good options of street food, snacks and refreshments. Definitely worth the visit. Please allow enough time, given the remote location and the extension of the mosaics.

Featured Historic Landmarks, Sites & Buildings

Photo from Flickr, copyright Following Hadrian

Historic Site of the week

Walls of Constantinople

The Walls of Constantinople are a series of defensive stone walls that have surrounded and protected the city of Constantinople (today Istanbul) since its founding as the new capital of the Roman Empire by Constantine the Great. With numerous additions and modifications during their history, they were the last great fortification system of antiquity, and one of the most complex and elaborate systems ever built. They were also the largest and strongest fortification in both the ancient and medieval world.

Initially built by Constantine the Great, the walls surrounded the new city on all sides, protecting it against attack from both sea and land. As the city grew, the famous double line of the Theodosian Walls was built in the 5th century. Although the other sections of the walls were less elaborate, they were, when well-manned, almost impregnable for any medieval besieger.

Villa Romana del Casale

Address

Details

More Information

Rating

Interesting Sites Nearby

User Reviews

Featured Historic Landmarks, Sites & Buildings

Finest Norman castles in Italy

Exploring the History of Northern Poland

Discovering Slovenia's Historic Wonders

Historic Site of the week

Walls of Constantinople