Villa Romana del Casale

Villa Romana del Casale is a Roman villa in south-central Sicily near Piazza Armerina. It is a UNESCO World Heritage site with possibly the greatest collection of Roman mosaics in the world. It is hard to reach; tour buses and rental cars are the best way to reach the site.

In addition to mosaics, frescoes are present on some walls.

The villa was constructed in the first quarter of the 4th century AD, and is believed to been owned by an aristocrat who organized a massive circus in Rome. Many rooms are animal themed.

The animal wreath walkway loops all the way around the atrium. The marble used to build the villa came from Euboea, Numidia, Thessaly, Egypt, and Asia Minor.

Some Roman ladies above a thermae. The mosaics are so well preserved because the villa was covered with mud in a landslide.

Chariot racing mosaics complement the circus motif.

Some floors were adorned with colorful pattern mosaics reminiscent of something more tribal.

Scenes from a hunt.

Romans do love pygmies.

The mosaics are still incredibly lifelike.

The most impressive mosaic, which spans a long hallway, depicts the great hunt, in which exotic animals are captured to exhibit in a circus back in Rome.

Gather ostriches faster!

That's one way to depict fish in an ocean.

I'm not sure is the artist ever saw an elephant, but he got pretty close.

The "bikini girls" is another famous mosaic depicting Roman women playing sports.

Some scholars think the master of the villa is the well-dressed man in the great hunt mosaic flanked by two guards.

This mosaic parodies a chariot race between the four factions of the circus.

This mosaic is mean to portray the eternal struggle between reason and irrationality.

The floor of the master's personal room.

Ulysses escaping from Polyphemus.

The mosaic floor of the bed-chamber (of course).

The length of the entire great hunt mosaic. It is truly one of the world's great masterpieces. Don't miss it!