Monday, November 2, 2009

Piazza Armerina - Roman mosaics

After seeing enough of Greek temples and their ruins I decided to see something new. My guidebook praised Villa Romana del Casale located near Piazza Armerina. The villa, according to the book had more mosaics than all churches in Ravenna. I doubt it - the villa, in my mind, is a tourist trap not worth a detour.
View Agrigento - Siracusa in a larger map

On the way there from Agrigento I planned to stop in Enna - another hilltop or cragtop town not far from Piazza Armerina. Well, not everything went according to the plan. Driving to Enna took more than an hour. It was only 60 miles, but 60 miles behind a slow moving truck is no fun. The road (SS640) was under construction. Enna is a nice town, but Thursday was market day there and I could find a parking spot. Driving up and down narrow one way streets was no fun either. The villa turned out to be not really a villa. Rather it is greenhouse (теплица) with mosaic floors. There are no walls or other structural elements. Here is the most famous mosaic -  "Girls in bikini" (there are actually 10 of them)taking part in various activities.


I drove straight to Siracusa from the villa.

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