Villa Romana del Casale
The Villa Romana del Casale is a Late Roman Villa (or Palace), dating from the late 3rd and early 4th century AD.
What makes it unique among other surviving Roman villas are its floors, that are covered almost completely with well preserved (and coloured) mosaics. There are over 50 rooms full of them, in total ca. 3500 m˛.
The villa was brought to its splendour by tetrarch Marcus Aurelius Maximianius. The mosaics probably were the work of North African craftsmen. The site was excavated mostly in the 1950s.
Visit April 2006
This Roman Villa lies near Piazza Armerina, in Central Sicily. It’s a fine location for a countryside villa. I was expecting crowds, but was lucky enough to be able to slowly do the rounds almost on my own. The villa is really large, and the mosaics are everywhere.
The ‘Bikini Girls’ – women athletes – are a set of ten mosaics in two rows in very good condition. The girls are performing exercises, from weightlifting to a ball game. One of them is about to be awarded the palm of victory. Other highlights include the Corridor of the Great Hunt, a long passageway covered with an elaborate hunting scene, and the Triclinium where mythical scenes are depicted including a bloody Battle of the Giants.
As mentioned in the ICOMOS report and various guidebooks, the mosaics are shielded under plexi glass covers. This has the effect of a greenhouse, possibly damaging the mosaics. One of the side effects also is that it creates rasters of shade on the mosaics, making it difficult to get sharp photographs.
More photos can be found in the Picture Gallery
Reviews
pendushko (israel):
we have been there on the 6-6-09 and were realy impressed by the neglegance and disorder of the site . we were told that vast amounts of money were pured into but it seem to us all that it migrated to unknown hand and localities - shame on those responsible |
| Date posted: June 2009 |
Leigh Quesnel (canada):
Just spent the day studying the mosaics. The site was not crowded and we had a rare opportunity to spend as much time as we liked looking at them. The mosaics are truly splendid and worth the trip to see.
May 2009 |
| Date posted: June 2009 |
Bob Hyslop (UK):
Excellent mosaics and extremely interesting. However, the site was grossly over-crowded. Could this be improved by wider gangways or a one-way system? Certain aspects revealed poor or mistaken maintenance; the transparent roof has damaged the colour of the mosaics & there were certain leaks. With all that I would recommend a visit simply because of the amount of material on display. |
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Douglas Scully (USA):
Doug (USA)
The site of the Villa Casale is amazing. No one seems sure of who it was built for but it had to be someone of great importance. The date is possibly the 3rd-4th centuries AD. The site is covered by a greenhouse of acrylic panels. There are many, many rooms with completely intact floor mosaics in situ. I have never seen anything like it elsewhere, especially at this scale. |
| Date posted: April 2006 |
Julie (USA):
This is a wonderful trip from anywhere on the island of Sicilia. In the summer it is usually very hot, especially with the sun beating down on the protective roofs that cover the mosaic floors. The entire site is worth a half-day visit, especially the room of the dodieci fatiche d'Ercole (the 12 labors of Hercules) and the long main corridor that shows the many daily chores (hunting, fishing, etc) that were performed daily. Excavations continue through today, with only 1/3 of the site being excavated thusfar. The craftsmanship of the slaves (presumably from nearby Africa) in this Villa is not to be missed. |
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