No one knows for certain who built or lived in the sprawling Villa in the Sicilian countryside. But whomever it was certainly loved their mosaics because these creations composed of tiny bits of tile and glass cover the Villa’s floors. The bikini-clad young women pictured above are among the most popular of the mosaics because they show female athletes wearing bikini-like outfits 15 centuries before the fashion industry popularized the two-piece swimsuit.
An Out-of-the-Way Attraction
We had rented a car for our two-week tour of Sicily because trains and buses aren’t that helpful in getting around the Italian island. Hopping in the rental car after visiting the vast archeological site in Agrigento, a town on the southwestern coast of Sicily, we drove almost three hours to visit the Villa Romana Del Casale and another two to three hours to get to our next destination. It was a very long day.
That’s reason enough for most visitors to Sicily to miss the Villa. Also, there’s not much nearby to see. The Villa is about 5 kilometers from Piazza Armerina, a town that has little more to recommend it than a nice church and its proximity to the Villa. See photo below from the town.
That’s Worth the Trip
It would be a shame to miss this incredible 60-room (and counting because there’s more to excavate) UNESCO World Heritage Site. The detail and the sheer magnitude of the mosaics is amazing. We had to view them from catwalks high above the floors, which protects the mosaics but limits the ability to fully capture the details or the extent of the mosaics in photographs. But here are some photos of our favorites. Visiting Villa Romana costs about 12 euro currently, a bargain for such a richly rewarding site, and a Sicilian sidetrip worth taking.
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