Project Description
Piazza Armerina
From Ragusa | Half day
Piazza Armerina
We drive across greenhouses, vineyards and hilly territory, one the less beaten tracks to reach the most internal province of Sicily, Enna,, where a hidden gem is waiting for us. Piazza Armerina is a lovely bustling town hanging on a hilltop; further down the hill, “Villa Romana del Casale” is set in a lush green environment. An incredible and unique Unesco site: a Roman Villa forgotten for centuries under a mudslide that covered and protected 4000 square metres of roman floor mosaics that have no comparison anywhere in the antiquity. It is like a book made of stone and mosaics illustrating us how life was in the Roman Sicily for a noble Officer of the Imperial court. Among the most beautiful mosaics and rooms, the famous bikini girls, the small and the great hunting rooms, as well as the private rooms with a large number of scenes inspired from the Greek Roman mithology or even from simple aspects of the ordinary daily life of the times.
Piazza Armerina
Piazza Armerina is a town located in the very rural southern central part of Sicily. The population is about 20,000 inhabitants. The town owns plenty of historical and artistic heritages dating back to Norman times, mostly churches in downtown or just outside it.
Among these the Church of Commenda, Saint Andrew the Grand Priory and especially the Cathedral dedicated to Our Lady of the Assumption that stands on the highest point of the old town, with its majestic dome and many works of art inside. The old town, ancient palaces and noble residences, churches and the theatre sit on three hills. This setting makes the cityscape beautiful to look at from below when you arrive or when you reach one of the highest points which is the calvary.
From here the city looks like a nativity scene and invites the traveller to discover its medieval streets only on foot through its quarters, including an attractive Jewish quarter in the sloping hills. Agriculture and especially meat and cheese production activities are the main resources of the town that goes along with its rural and authentic spirit. Here in the summer there is also a typical medieval festival called the Palio dei Normanni.
The most important monument known today worldwide is its superb villa romana del Casale, Unesco World Heritage site and one of the most visited archaeological sites in Sicily and Italy.
The villa dates back to the late Roman period close to fourth century AD.
Its 3500 square meters of colorful floor mosaics cover the rooms of the villa depicting scenes of ordinary life, marine and land flora and fauna, beside mythological scenes. The villa is divided into several macro spaces and rooms of different size and function.
A monumental entrance with columns next to the thermal baths introduces to the central body of the villa. This is a big open space surrounded by a Colonnade or peristyle and a large courtyard with a fountain in the center. Along the peristyle, service rooms, kitchens, warehouses and reception rooms used for banquets, including the room of small hunting among the most famous.
The most amazing place is certainly the long corridor of the big hunt which covers more than 60 meters in length.
Here hunting scenes of wild animals from different areas of the Roman Empire are narrated on the floor; these scenes represent the main plot the narration, while the structure of this long room functions like a zipline between the public and private area. The room shows us hunting techniques, how Roman dressed and who were the authorities as well as the fauna of Northern African regions from west to east through Egypt on the Nile river and onto Middle East and the distant India with hunting and transportation of animals like the tiger typical of that area.
A fantastic practical geographical and political representation of the entire Roman Empire, its mighty power and efficient military organization. The realism that describes the movements, actions, details and even facial expressions enriches the extraordinary value of the mosaics and connects emotionally the visitor to the scenes realized by the mosaic masters. They were among the best artists of the time, probably active in North Africa, nowaday Tunisia.
Beyond the great hunting corridor, the highest part the villa houses the private area. Here decorations sound more intimate with scenes of Cupids, cherubs, but also sensual erotic scenes or other scenes inspired from Greek mythology like the one-eyed Cyclops, unusually represented here with one eye added to the two existing on the forehead.
The room known mistakenly known as “Bikini girls” is among the most famous and iconic in the villa. It describes scenes of young girls attending different sport competitions, the cycle ends with the victory and a crown of laurel leaves for the winner.
The great Basilica located in the central part and some outdoor areas used for banquets close the circle of this wonderful monument unique in the Roman world. The site for its educational value could be compared to Pompei and even the two town events might run in parallel with a less tragic end for the villa of Piazza Armerina.
In Pompei a pyroclastic tremendous volcanic eruption submerged an entire Roman town preserving it intact till today; here a landslide from the mount above covered for many centuries the villa keeping intact the most beautiful rooms and exposing the lower part of the baths frequented by locals until the Arab period after which it was abandoned by the inhabitants who moved to the site of the new city of today.
- Private Sedan car or Mercedes Viano up to seven seats
- Private driver speaking your language
- Fuel, motorway toll and parking fee
- Half day service with private driver and car UP TO 4 HOURS
- Full day service with private car and driver UP TO 8 HOURS
- Water bottle onboard
- Visits, stops and panoramic driving tours described on the itinerary
NOT INCLUDED:
- Archeological sites, monuments and churches entrance fees
- Local products and wine tasting or culinary experiences unless included
- Driver and local guides gratuities (we suggest 10% if services meets or exceeds your expectations)
- Local Sicilian regional licensed guide
- Meals, wine tasting or culinary experiences if not already included in the itinerary
- Yachts, helicopter or private plane rental linked to our ground transportation service
–
or send us a message requesting information, our team will respond as soon as possible.
Piazza Armerina
Mezza giornata
Piazza Armerina
Oggi percorreremo strade collinari caratterizzate da serre e vigneti prima di raggiungere una delle provincie meno battute e note come quella di Enna, dove ci aspetta un incredibile gemma nascosta.
Piazza Armerina è una cittadina arroccata su una collina, ricca di storia che nasconde uno scrigno incredibile nella villa romana tardo imperiale e nei suoi mosaici unici nel loro genere. Scendendo lungo una strada con una vegetazione rigogliosa e verdeggiante, raggiungiamo la “Villa Romana del Casale”, oggi sito Unesco.
Questa villa è stata dimenticata per secoli, giacendo sotto una fitta coltre di colata di fango che coprì, preservò e protesse a lungo una distesa straordinaria di 4000 metri quadrati di pavimenti mosaicati che non hanno uguali nel mondo antico romano.
Un libro di pietra e mosaici che descrive usi, abitudini e scene di vita quotidiana dell’antica Roma attraverso le vicende del suo “dominus” o padrone che si ritiene fosse un ricchissimo nobile o addirittura un imperatore.
Fra le sale più belle, la stanza delle donne in bikini, la piccola e la grande caccia, le stanze private e i tanti ambienti pubblici e privati che attingono a scene della mitologia greca o a semplici aspetti della vita quotidiana a Roma.
Piazza Armerina
- Private Sedan car or Mercedes Viano up to seven seats
- Private driver speaking your language
- Fuel, motorway toll and parking fee
- Half day service with private driver and car UP TO 4 HOURS
- Full day service with private car and driver UP TO 8 HOURS
- Water bottle onboard
- Visits, stops and panoramic driving tours described on the itinerary
NOT INCLUDED:
- Archeological sites, monuments and churches entrance fees
- Local products and wine tasting or culinary experiences unless included
- Driver and local guides gratuities (we suggest 10% if services meets or exceeds your expectations)
- Local Sicilian regional licensed guide
- Meals, wine tasting or culinary experiences if not already unless included in the itinerary
- Yachts, helicopter or private plane rental linked to our ground transportation service
–
or send us a message requesting information, our team will respond as soon as possible.
