Villa Romana del Casale is one of the few remaining Roman sites in Sicily. At 37,000 sf, it has one of the largest collections of Roman mosaic floors anywhere. In my opinion, it was the most impressive site in Sicily and well worth the detour.
Admission to the Villa is €10 and it is open every day of the year, including holidays. You do need to book an entrance time online: https://www.villaromanadelcasale.it Plan on spending at least an hour. Rick Steves has a detailed tour.
There were 2 aqueducts that fed the villa from the River Gela. The one on the left fed the baths and the one on the right served household needs.
Monumental Entrance or front door of the villa.
Entry Hall
Baths--the Romans loved their baths. There was a tepidarium (warm room) followed by a caldarium, where the sauna and hot pools were located.
The massage room's floor was decorated with mosaics of masseuse.
The bracelets on their right ankles indicated they were slaves.
Frigidarium. The last step of the bathing ritual is to plunge into a cold bath to close the pores.
The floor of the frigidarium showed sea gods.
Palestra--home gym. The room is in the shape of a racetrack and the mosaic floor has teams racing around a central spine.
Latrine with communal toilets. There was a steady stream of water flowing through the latrine.
Adventus Vestibule--where the owner of the villa greeted guests. The mosaic is of a noble family in ceremonial togas and laurel crowns
Peristyle Courtyard--the inner courtyard with a fountain.
The heads of exotic animals grace the floor ringing the peristyle. This may be indicative of the exotic animals the owner sold.
Private entrance to the Thermae
The thermal procession consists of the domina of the house, flanked by her children and house maids bringing a change of clothes and ointments for massages.
Hall of the Small Hunt could have been the dining room.
This room with scenes of cupids fishing likely was a room for children.
Ambulatory of the Great Hunt. This grand hall has a 200-foot long hunting scene.
This was a very impressive room. The mosaics were remarkably intact. This scene shows perhaps the owner of the villa involved in his animal trade.
The scenes do not show the killing of wild animals. Rather, it shows the capture and transport of exotic animals.
A tiger is lured by seeing her image in a mirror ball, which she believes is that of her cub.
A man inside a cage--the hunter becomes the hunted.
The room with Gymnasts shows women wearing bikinis, perhaps the most famous of the mosaics at the villa.
Elliptical Peristyle--this is the only place you can walk on the tiles.
The Triclinium was closed. It was the great dining hall. The floor shows scenes from the 12 Labours of Hercules. I was able to get my camera through a small opening to snap a picture.
Master's Southern Apartments. This room is likely the children's bedroom. The floor shows drag racing chariots pulled by exotic birds.
The dominus' bedroom in the Southern Apartments.
Semicircular portico that introduced the Southern Apartment.
Master's Northern Apartments. The floor of this room shows scenes from Homer's Odyssey.
The private bedroom of the dominus and domina
with a scene of the dominus and domina in the center of the room.
This room features an episode from Homer's Odyssey.
This cyclops has 3 eyes.
The Basilica is the final room on the tour and it is the only room that does not have any mosaics. Instead, the floors are covered with exotic marble slabs. This is where the owner of the villa conducted business.
Throughout the villa, there were many sculptures by Igor Mitoraj. This one is titled "Couple for Eternity."
"Lights of Nara II"
"Hermes"
"Ikaro"
2022 04 17
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