With its historic center capable of taking us back in time among medieval streets and Renaissance and Baroque buildings, it is famous throughout the world for its imposing Villa Romana del Casale, a supreme example of a late-imperial Roman luxury villa included in the UNESCO World Heritage Site.
History and information on the Villa Romana del Casale
The history of the Villa Romana del Casale begins around 320-350 AD. Many hypotheses have been made about its owner but currently the most accredited theory identifies him with a prestigious figure of the Constantinian age, Lucio Aradio Valerio Proculo Populonio, governor of Sicily between 327 and 331 and consul in 340.
After the period of splendor of the 4th and 5th centuries, the building was devastated by the barbarian invasions and reused by the Byzantines, Arabs and Normans. The Arabs, in particular, had a farmhouse nearby that gives its name to the archaeological site. Buried by the debris of a 12th-century flood, the complex was brought back to light thanks to the archaeologist Gino Vinicio Gentili, who conducted the excavations in the 1950s.
Why it became a UNESCO site
The Villa Romana del Casale is among the finest examples of ancient Roman villas, so well preserved that it still shows us the lifestyle of the predominant social and economic class in the late imperial era.
In 1997 it was included in the UNESCO World Heritage List for its splendid mosaics, still in perfect condition, which cover approximately 3,500 square meters of surface, with depictions of heroes and gods, hunting scenes, games and everyday life.
What to see at the Villa Romana del Casale
The mosaics of the Villa del Casale in Piazza Armerina attract millions of visitors from all over the world every year, but it is worth starting a visit to the place from the ancient village.
On the highest point of Piazza Armerina stands the Cathedral, a splendid example of Sicilian Baroque. In the same square you will find the Palazzo Trigona, built at the end of the 17th century. The building is one of the most authoritative examples of civil architecture of the late Sicilian Baroque, developed on 4 levels and today home to the Museum of the City and the Territory.
At the gates of the city you must be enchanted by the archaeological site of Montagna di Marzo, a 700-meter high mᴀss that preserves the remains of the ancient city of Erbesso, disappeared in ancient times and rediscovered only in the 1950s.
The jewel in the crown of the place is the archaeological park of the Villa Romana del Casale, a magnificent rural residence rich in architectural and decorative elements brought to light in their entirety at the end of 2012 after years of intense excavations.
