Roman mosaic

[Kosmo]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IVwSdwiPCFQ...mp;feature=fvwp

[caesar novus]

After considering the nightmarish logistics to visit the famous Roman villa of mosaics in rural Sicily, I decided this high quality slideshow should be an OK substitute http://www.flickr.com/search/show/?q=sicily+casale

[Crispina]

After considering the nightmarish logistics to visit the famous Roman villa of mosaics in rural Sicily, I decided this high quality slideshow should be an OK substitute http://www.flickr.com/search/show/?q=sicily+casale

 

 

Wonderful. How exciting it would be to see all this in person. Thanks for sharing.

[caesar novus]

Maybe I shouldn't be so negative about logistics. You can get darn close for practically no trouble or money from Naples, where any Romanophile might be poking around Pompeii anyway. At least off-peak, it appears the Naples-Catania overnight ferry will rent you a cabin and passage for less that the price you were probably going to pay for a hotel anyway. From there I think a series of rural busses are needed - the kind where I always get off at the wrong stop (drivers may only speak local dialect rather than Italian or of course english, I hear). Maybe a direct excursion bus is avail when cruise ships arrive.

 

Catania is supposed to be a somewhat revolting base for a tourist, but you can daytrip to some Greek remains in Siracuse (I guess all these Greek remains were occupied by Romans later). I may use the ferry to Palermo instead with train excursions to the Greek temples at Agrigento and Segesta. Palermo is supposed to also be revolting but with more to do. I try to rationalize missing the Roman Villa as a 2D experience that can be best replicated on a computer screen slide show... I don't think much of the walls or roof remain?

Edited February 17, 2010 by caesar novus

[Maladict]

Maybe I shouldn't be so negative about logistics. You can get darn close for practically no trouble or money from Naples, where any Romanophile might be poking around Pompeii anyway. At least off-peak, it appears the Naples-Catania overnight ferry will rent you a cabin and passage for less that the price you were probably going to pay for a hotel anyway. From there I think a series of rural busses are needed - the kind where I always get off at the wrong stop (drivers may only speak local dialect rather than Italian or of course english, I hear). Maybe a direct excursion bus is avail when cruise ships arrive.

 

It shouldn't be too hard to get there. Domestic flights from Rome to Catania are dirt cheap, from there you should be able to take a bus to Piazza Armerina, and likely a tour bus will take you all the way to the villa for a few euros more.

It really doesn't look as good in real life as it does in the pictures. The colours look faded because of dust and bad lighting and the raised walkways mean you sometimes have to look at them from odd angles.

There was a major restoration effort in progress last time I was there (in 2008) with many rooms closed off to the public.

Still, I wouldn't have missed it for the world.

 

Catania is supposed to be a somewhat revolting base for a tourist, but you can daytrip to some Greek remains in Siracuse (I guess all these Greek remains were occupied by Romans later). I may use the ferry to Palermo instead with train excursions to the Greek temples at Agrigento and Segesta. Palermo is supposed to also be revolting but with more to do.

 

Catania isn't that bad, just stay clear of the touristy areas. Siracusa and especially Agrigento should not be missed, and I would add Selinunte though it would be quite hard to get there without a car.

Palermo is fantastic, if I could only visit one place in Sicily I'd skip all the Greek and Roman sites and head for Palermo.