 | This article needs additional citations for verification. (May 2024) |
 A captive tigress in the big game hunt mosaic | |
  Shown within Italy | |
| Location | Piazza Armerina, Province of Enna, Sicily, Italy |
|---|---|
| Coordinates | 37°21′53″N 14°20′05″E / 37.36472°N 14.33472°E |
| Type | Roman villa |
| Area | 8.92 ha (22.0 acres) |
| History | |
| Founded | First quarter of the 4th century |
| Abandoned | 12th century AD |
| Periods | Late Antiquity to High Middle Ages |
| Cultures | Roman |
| Site notes | |
| Archaeologists | Paolo Orsi, Giuseppe Cultrera, Gino Vinicio Gentili, Andrea Carandini |
| Ownership | Public |
| Website | www |
| Official name | Villa Romana del Casale |
| Type | Cultural |
| Criteria | i, ii, iii |
| Designated | 1997 (21st session) |
| Reference no. | 832 |
| Region | Europe |
The Villa Romana del Casale (Sicilian: Villa Rumana dû Casali) is a large and elaborate Roman villa or palace located about 3 km from the town of Piazza Armerina, Sicily. Excavations have revealed Roman mosaics which, according to the Grove Dictionary of Art, are the richest, largest and most varied collection that remains,[1] for which the site was designated as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1997.[2] The villa and its artwork date to the early 4th century AD.
The mosaic and opus sectile floors cover some 3,500 m2 and are almost unique in their excellent state of preservation due to the landslide and floods that covered the remains.[3]
Although less well-known, an extraordinary collection of frescoes covered not only the interior rooms, but also the exterior walls.
- ^ R. J. A. Wilson: Piazza Armerina. In: Akiyama, Terakazu (Ed.): The Dictionary of Art. Vol. 24: Pandolfini to Pitti. Oxford 1998, ISBN 0-19-517068-7.
- ^ "World Heritage Site". Archived from the original on 15 January 2007. Retrieved 2008-12-15.
- ^ Unesco, "Advisory Body Evaluation (ICOMOS)", 1997