One of the most important discoveries made to date is that of the famous Villa del Casale. With an area of over 3500 square meters, the Villa was the hunting residence of Maximian Herculeus, colleague of Diocletian in the management of the Roman Empire. It today represents an extraordinary testimony of life in the Roman era thanks to its mosaic floors, famous worldwide. The creation of these mosaics is now attributed to African masters, as inventors of this art who spread it to the countries they came into contact with. The Villa’s global importance lies in the impeccable state of preservation of the mosaics, which are also considered the largest and most fascinating ever made in the Roman era. This great importance is also due to the scenes depicted in these works, which demonstrate great technical skill given the realism of the subjects and colors used. In these works, you can admire scenes taken from Homer’s works, mythological scenes, and also images of daily life, always executed in a very vivid manner. The Villa has four main groupings identifiable as: main entrance and thermal quarter; peristyle with living room and guest quarters; private rooms and basilica; triclinium and elliptical courtyard. These are arranged on terraces to adapt to the characteristics of the terrain on which they stand. Outside, two aqueducts were found that were used to supply fountains, services, and the thermal quarter. Many scholars have long argued that a building of this kind could not have been completely isolated but had to include other marginal constructions dedicated to fulfilling all the needs of an imperial villa. For this reason, several excavation campaigns are currently underway.
Information about Regional Museum and Archaeological Area of the Roman Villa del Casale
Piazza Armerina (Enna)
+39 0935 680036
museo.villacasale@regione.sicilia.it
Source: MIBACT
