The context - the territory

The Latifundium

Located in a lush hilly area thanks to the presence of the Gela river, the Villa Romana del Casale forms the residential part of a large latifundium, a group of land estates, the massae, which were not necessarily neighbouring, that the late antiquity aristocrats owned in different regions of the Empire. In Sicily in particular, the 4th century AD marked a resumption of agricultural activity, linked to the island’s new role of supplying grain to the city of Rome, after Egyptian grain was transferred to the new capital, Constantinople. It is believed that the villa was connected to the latifundium of Philosophiana , whose name is shown on an itinerary, about halfway along the route between Catania and Agrigento.
The construction of a large residence like the Casale is due, on the one hand, to the size and importance of the latifundium, of which it formed the administrative and managerial centre.
On the other hand, the residence, due to its architectural and decorative characteristics, had to reflect the prestige and culture of the dominus who, due to his high-ranking position, almost certainly suggested the scenes shown in its floor mosaics.

The Villa del Casale is not the only example in the territory of Enna of a residential structure embellished with mosaics and linked, at the same time, to agricultural production. In fact, it is worth mentioning the  Villa di Gerace in Enna, which is currently being excavated.

A small room embellished with marble

The senses tell the massage room

A small room represents one of the activities of the thermal bath route

The astral interpretation of the mosaic

Banquets and panegyrics enlivened the vast hall, against the background of a floor mosaic celebrating the feats of Hercules

The rural sacrifice

The Latifundium

The possible celebration of a solemn event

An eloquent symbol: the signum

The protagonists of the mosaics

The senses tell the private entrance to the spa

Is the profile of the dominus hidden among the scenes depicted in the mosaics?

A dialogue between mythological and realistic scenes

The catalogue of animals

The mansio of Philosophiana. A stopping place

The senses tell the Quadrangular Peristyle

The senses tell the Bi-Apsed room

The paths of virus, a reflection of the Dominus

The senses tell the Sacellum of the Lares

The golden age: hypotheses about the villa’s period of construction and clues

A royal room housed the Dominus during his audiences

The senses tell the Vestibule

A large colonnaded portico, a place of connection between the rooms

The apotheosis of Hercules

A view of the race from the imperial gallery

An organic microcosm: the structure of the villa

The late antiquity residence: locus amoenus and centre of administrative activities in the heart of Sicily

Form of greeting or ritual?

The capture of wild animals for the roman amphitheatre games

The public and private rooms of the villa

The senses tell the monumental entrance

The main nuclei of the Domus

High-ranking characters depicted in the mosaics of the apsidal niches of the frigidarium

The senses tell the frigidarium

The senses tell the bi-apsed ambulatory – Corridor of the “Great Hunt”

An individual who has attracted the attention of scholars

The senses tell the Basilica

The prestige of the dominus is revealed through the wall frescoes

The realistic depiction of a spa procession with a high-ranking female figure

Solemn and majestic architecture to welcome a high-ranking commissioner

The senses tell the Tri-Apsed Triclinium

A hidden meaning

A chariot race, set in the circus Maximus of Rome, connects the villa to the city and centre of power

The protagonists of the mosaic and the military themed frescoes

Worship of the Lares

The mosaics of the late antiquity residence

The senses tell the room in the private apartment known as “small hunt”

Auspicious symbols and perhaps the initials of the commissioner’s name decorate the mosaic of the apsidal room

The marble from the regions of the empire to decorate the basilica

An official ceremony to welcome the Dominus

A small room used as a privileged entrance to the baths

A day of hunting at the villa

A line of armed men for an important Dominus

Semi-public rooms

Outdoor breakfast