Marsala to Piazza Armerina

Saturday, April 1, 2016

We spent the morning on the road, traveling northeast to the interior of Sicily in order to see one very special archaeological and cultural treasure, the Villa Romana del Casale.  Though Sicily overflows with ancient Greek ruins, this is one of the few sites to see Roman antiquities on the island.

When did you think the Bikini was invented?

The villa, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, was built in the 4th century; the UNESCO citation declares, " It is especially noteworthy for the richness and quality of the mosaics which decorate almost every room; they are the finest mosaics in situ anywhere in the Roman world." The villa is  thought to have been the summer residence of a wealthy Roman family. And  wealthy they must have been!  The "home" is huge, and includes a bath complex, large peristyle (central courtyard),  basilica, public spaces, service areas, and the living areas of the resident family, all paved in multicolored mosaics.  Each time we thought we'd seen everything, we found signage directing us to another wing!  A landslide in the 13th century buried the villa and preserved the glorious mosaics we (and busloads of others) were able to see today.  It was quite an afternoon.

Less than two miles from the Villa is the town of Piazza Armerina, our home for the night.  We're staying in a "duplex" in an old building in the historic center of town, a couple of blocks from the duomo, which crowns the hill upon which the town is built.  Our hosts live across the narrow street, with their cute five-year old son, Federico, who was happy to help his father show us around the apartment.

We walked around town and visited the cathedral, which is dedicated to the Blessed Mother and decorated in her blue and white colors.  It's a HUGE church (one of many) in this small town.

We wandered around (up and down) the streets of town before our happy hour, then back down for dinner (Sicilian specialties, and enough for tomorrow night's meal!) at a trattoria recommended by Massimo, our host.  Our walk back uphill was probably not enough to burn off the calories from dinner, or from the chocolate ricotta cake we had for dessert, courtesy of Massimo's wife.