Mosaics at the Roman Villa near Piazza Armerina and a night out in Cefalu

---

The ruins at Megara Hyblaea provided a fantastic start to another day of exploring the wonders of Sicily. Next we journeyed inland to Piazza Armerina, famous for a Roman Villa with marvelous mosaics.

The Villa Romana del Casale, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, was built in the first quarter of the 4th century A.D. and is best known for containing the largest collection of stunningly detailed Roman mosaics in the world. A village, Platia, grew around the villa and at least the outbuildings of the villa were in continual use up until the villa was covered by a landslide in the 12 century A.D., after which point survivors of the landslide moved to Piazza Armerina. Historically, Visigoths and Vandals destroyed much of the complex as well. Tetrarch Marcus Aurelius Maximianus' sprawling villa takes up 4200 sqyd and is comprised of well over 50 rooms whose floors are all decorated with mosaics most likely crafted by slaves from North Africa. Unfortunately we came during the off season when the vast majority of the complex is closed for restoration purposes. Only the most famous mosaics found in Basilica, the "Bikini Girls Room" and the "Corridor of the Great Hunt" were open for viewing. While I was greatly impressed by what I saw, Teo was disappointed since he had visited the entire site four years before and knew what I was missing out on. Ignorance is bliss, I suppose.

Since much of the Villa Romana del Casale was closed to the public, our tour was quick and we decided to check out the Duomo of Piazza Armerina since it had been recommended to us. Built in the 17th-18th century on top of the 15th century existing church, the baroque cathedral is like many people we encounter, "cute from afar but far from cute". From a distance its dome is stunning but up close it is far less spectacular and I can only imagine the gaudy, gold, well-angeled interior.

We journeyed to Cefalu, finding a camp site along the way. The Duomo of Cefalu, constructed in the Norman style begun in 1131, illuminated at night is remarkable from great distances as you drive along the coastal highway to reach the city. The cathedral's facade was completed in 1240 and the two towers were added in 1472. It seems smaller, but no less beautiful, up close. After a lovely dinner at Ti Vitti Trattoria-Pizzaria, Via Umberto I, 34, we climbed many stairs to explore the walls of the great fortress located up a small hill from the city center. Just follow the signs for "Tempio di Diana" to get to the fortress' entrance. We came at night when everything was closed, but when the gates are open you can enter the fortress to see a castle and an ancient Greek temple dedicated to Artemis dating back to 800 B.C. The name Diana refers to the Roman Goddess who was Artemis' equivalent. The temple is known to be one of the oldest surviving constructions in Sicily. After appreciating the night time views of Cefalu from above, we descended the stairs in search of some nightlife. The bar MasQueNada, Via Descesa Paramuro, 5/7, whose name says it all meaning essentially "Better Than Nothing", is basically it. There is apparently also a discotheque, but we weren't in the mood to party all night. We enjoyed our Sicilian wine, chatted with a random German dude, who spoke comically robotic Italian, and then called it a night in order to be well-rested for a visit to Monreale.

---