On the occasion of my trip to Sicily, I also decide to visit the famous and much-decanted Villa Romana del Casale located in the town of Piazza Armerina, in the province of Enna, in the Erei mountains and surrounded by magnificent woods. From the twelfth century, walls and furnishings and archaeological finds of all types were discovered on its territory.

The locals found many precious items that they needed to beautify their homes and churches and to earn some money by selling them. There was even a family who had their palace paved with tiles from the mosaics of the villa!
Fortunately, most mosaics arrived intact until official excavations at the end of the 19th century and in the fifties of the last century.

In 1991, an avalanche of mud and debris that descended from Mount Mangone almost destroyed this beautiful complex and the layer of slime caused a lot of damage that were repaired later.

The Villa, famous for its wonderful mosaics from Roman times, has been a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1997. It is said that the Villa was built to be used as a home of the tetrarch Massimiano and his family, about 293.

The Tetrarch Massimiano, in fact, retired here, about a decade after his abdication. The wonderful villa that also had dark periods with its destruction occurred during the Arab invasions, followed by a perfect reconstruction by the Normans, & Grave; still very fascinating today.

This villa was certainly a holiday resort and is divided into several parts. You can see reception rooms, bedrooms and spas. Recent excavations have brought to light other environments such as stables and warehouses. Starting from the twelfth century, the Villa slowly began to be buried from the beginning of the earth and so it was inexorably forgotten until the day of its discovery.

The area of the Villa, of almost 3500 square meters, contains numerous mosaics famous for their beauty and excellent state of preservation. I therefore admire walking among its remains, the mosaics depicting the hunters with their prey, or even the fishermen and the sea full of fish, but most of all I remain enchanted by modernity & agrave; which expresses, one of the most famous mosaics of the Villa depicting athletes dressed in a bikini.

Finally, I conclude my visit with another famous mosaic, the one depicting the 12 labors of Hercules.