Mosaics at Villa Romana

4 May 2023

After the Greek temples at Agrigento, we headed inland to see a wonder of the Roman world. In the fourth century AD (probably; no firm dates for construction or destruction of the villa have been solidly determined), a wealthy Roman landowner and aristocrat built the first parts of a sumptuous villa. Added to by subsequent owners, it grew to palatial size. Parts of it may have been destroyed or damaged by a short-lived Vandal occupation in the late 400s. Evidence indicates that some buildings on the site were used until around 1160; later in the century the site was covered by a landslide, with just a few buildings visible above ground.

That landslide had one huge beneficial effect for us modern-day lovers of history and art: it covered and protected what is now the largest known installation of Roman mosaics: over 3,600 square yards: some 30,000 square feet. Besides the extent of these mosaics, they are also known as among the very best Roman mosaics in terms of quality, subject and color.

The site was first excavated by non-archaologists in the late 1800s; then by professionals in 1929. Since then it has undergone almost continuous study and more rooms have been excavated. Archaologists believe more rooms - and more mosaics - remain to be found.

Our favorite mosaics:

A geometric design on the floor of a room.

Another geometric design on a guest room. Many of the private rooms of the owner and his guests were decorated with geometric designs.

A private room of the owner, with non-geometric mosaics.

The Hunt Mosaic

This amazing mosaic is almost 60 meters long, over 180 feet. It presents scenes from a hunt and includes many people, animals ranging from birds to elephants, boats and plants and trees. Among the many mosaics of Villa Romana this is the star.

The Great Hunt. Laurie - an avid gardener - asked for this picture of potted plants.

And you thought the bikini was invented in the 1960s! This scene of women athletes in competition pre-dates that by 1,600 years.

Villa Romana shows us that after the beautiful temples and art of the Greeks, the Romans continued adding to Sicily’s trove of art. For centuries and through multiple foreign dominations, Sicily continued to absorb from those ruling cultures and add to the world’s supply of art. That we can see these today is, in my humble opinion, a miracle.

And…a couple of photos of the intrepid Sicilian travelers:

Mary and Gilles - our traveling companions and great friends.