We set off quite early to visit the Villa Romana del Casale, a Roman villa dating to the first quarter of the 4th century; it is located about 3 km outside Piazza Armerina, where we spent the night. It contains what is said to be the richest, largest and most complex collection of Roman mosaics in the world, and is yet another of the UNESCO World Heritage Sites.
The villa was probably built as the center of a huge agricultural estate covering the surrounding area. Our guide suggested it might be connected with the Emperor Maximillian. It was damaged during the incursions of the Vandals and the Visigoths, but it seems that the site was not completely abandoned until the 12th century when a landslide covered it - and incidentally, preserved the mosaics. I am afraid this post is going to be mostly showing the mosaics, which are absolutely stunning.
The site was then almost entirely forgotten, although some of the tallest parts of the remains were always above ground. Early in the 19th century, pieces of mosaics and some columns were found and later the first official archaeological excavations were carried out. It was excavated several times in the last century, and there is still work going on now, as far as I can see.
This is the first building you encounter as you enter the site, the heating system of the baths.
The little tunnels you can see heated the water for the steam that circulated under the hot room.
This is one of the more complete mosaics, called the Small Game Hunt.
It is claimed this was used a winter living room, because it faces south. There are various scenes from the hunt, surrounding somebody making a sacrifice near the top. In the centre the hunters are feasting under a red awning, and there are further scenes from the hunt below them.
My next photo shows the peristyle, with a large pool in the centre, which had a statue on the plinth in the centre.
The Peristyle has beautiful mosaics all round it, mostly geometric ones, with panels of animal heads. However, the most spectacular one is at the far side of tbe Peristyle from the entrance - so I had my back to it when I took the picture above.
The mosaic has been called The Big Game Hunt - because 'big game' are being hunted for capture, probably for the circus. The whole mosaic is 60 metres long.
My picture shows the elephant being taken on board a ship. In the background you can see a camel. I won't bore people by posting about 20 photographs showing the whole mosaic, but there are lots of different animals, including antelopes, a wild bull, a wild boar, a tiger, a lion, a panther, some ostriches and a rhinosaurus. There are other wonderful details, like the cart to take away some of the animals after they have been caught, officials supervising the loading of the animals, and even a soldier beating a slave.
Below is what is probably the most famous mosaic of all, in what is referred to as 'The Room with Girls in Bikinis'.
It is felt that this was originally a room used by servants, and had a geometric design which you can still see in the top left corner. At a later date, the purpose of the room changed and the floor was relaid - the old floor is about 6 inches below. The girls were exercising with weights, throwing the discus, running and playing at some ball game. In the bottom left, somebody is being presented with a victory palm and a floral crown.
A lot of the geometric mosaics are inset with panels showing animals, and some of them are quite complete. I particularly liked this one of a horse.
Other geometric designs were inset with different panels. I really liked this one, which has decorative panels of different fruits.
It is thought this room might have been a bedroom; it is in the private, rather than the public area of the house.
The next room is described as having 'an erotic scene'. Paul says you can't see the details in my photo and it might be anything, so you need to look at the panel in the centre.
I can't resist quoting you the guide book, which says this shows 'a comely lady kissing an ephebus who is holding a receptacle in his left hand and fruit in his mantle; it reveals the charms mother nature has endowed her with (a beautiful "lower back")'!
There are far more fantastic mosaics in this villa than I can possibly post here, including wonderful ones illustrating various myths, such as the Labours of Hercules or the story of Ulysses and the cyclops Polyphemes.
After we had spent some hours admiring all these wonderful mosaics, we returned to town for lunch and a wonderful ice cream - 2 scoops, one melon and one vanilla with cherry. They were much better than yesterday's pear one.
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