Via Romana del Casale

This magnificent villa is one of the largest dwellings of its kind to have survived from the days of the Romans. Its 40 rooms are covered with 122,063 square feet of some of the greatest, most magnificent mosaics in Western Europe. It is obvious that a wealthy patrician built this mansion, perhaps a Roman Emperor. The exact date of the villa's construction is hard to ascertain, perhaps the end of the 3rd century A.D. or the beginning of the 4th century. The villa was destroyed by fire in the 12th century and over the years was buried in mudslides. Parts of the villa were unearthed in 1881. Many of the mansion's walls are still standing, but most visitors come to see the mosaics on the floors and the surviving wall paintings. Many of the mosaic scenes are mythological and, since this was a hunting lodge, most of the scenes depict the pursuit of wild animals.

Among the best interesting mosaics are the splendid Peristylium mosaic, which can be viewed on all sides of the portico, a romp of birds, plants, wild animals, and more domesticated creatures such as horses. Also not to be missed are mosaics depicting wild animals such as rhinos and elephants, a mosaic depicting a chariot race at the Circus Maximus in Rome, a mosaic depicting several young girls in what seems to be bikinis engaged in exercise, a depicting of the Labors of Hercules, and a risqué work depicting a young man in the arms of a tender seductress.

Visiting Palermo

Palermo is serviced by an international airport and is also accessible by bus from other parts of Sicily. Traffic within the city is, as with other places in Italy, somewhat chaotic, but many attractions are within walking distance and there is a bus system.