October 22 Villa Romana Del Casale

 Today we took a  l-o-n-g  drive in pouring rain to the city of Piazza Armerina to see the famous mosaics at Villa Romana Del Casale.  

I didn't get a photo of us all in full rain gear.  Mike and I each had an umbrella and I had a cheap rain cape.  Alexis is wearing the rain cape and holding my umbrella - which the two girls shared.  Mike and I tried to share his umbrella which did not work well.  Rob just got wet.  The mosaics were pretty amazing, but you had to go in and out of the covering roof area to see different areas.  We tried to time it between massive downpours and lighter rain to dash to the next opening.  The mosaics were covered but not really protected.  Many leeks and floods on the mosaics.

This area was uncovered and they just let the area flood as there were not a lot of mosaics here.

The simpler the mosaic pattern - the lower the status of the people who used the room.  

                                                    There were a lot of hunting scenes.  

But also scenes of people trying to catch wild animals from many parts of the world for the circus.

And then taking the captured animals back home in ships.

                     The bikini women are actually athletes dressed as they were for the time.

              These mosaics were in the masters quarters.  Actually I think a lot of the information on what                                                        the rooms were for were just guesses.