Piazza Armerina

It is easy enough to walk around the old and new towns. See below for details of transport to the Villa Romana.

• The old town contains several interesting buildings.
• 🌍 Villa Romana del Casale, Palazzo Trigona - Piazza Cattedrale 20, Piazza Armerina (5 km southwest), ☏ +39 0935-687667. Apr-Oct: 09:00-19:00; Nov-Mar 09:00-17:00; Jul Aug: F-Su hours extended to 23:30; last entry 1 hour before closing. One of the highlights of Sicily, with the remains of a large number of rooms covered by a huge canopy to protect the numerous elaborate mosaics which are much more impressive than those at Pompeii. In fact you can tell what the room was by the mosaic. For instance, there is a mosaic with a rather rotund man getting a massage, then being washed down to enter the baths. After the baths the room shows the man drying off with a big fluffy towel. With that you know the first room was to get relaxed before entering the baths and so on. Also very interesting is the mosaic of the "Girls in Bikinis" depicting women working out in a gym.
  There are about 5 buses a day from Piazza Senatore Marescalchi, or you could walk, or take a taxi from the nearby Piazza Generale Cascino. €10, reductions available. (updated Oct 2019)
• 🌍 Piazza Armerina Cathedral (Cattedrale di Maria Santissima delle Vittorie, Duomo di Piazza Armerina). The massive Baroque cathedral (17th and 18th centuries), built on the 15th-century foundations of a former church, from which the bell tower was taken and reused. Also original to the 15th-century church are the Catalan-Gothic style windows on the left side. The dome dates from 1768. The façade has a notable portal with spiral columns by Leonardo De Luca. The interior, with a single large nave, houses the Madonna della Vittoria (Madonna of the Victory). The Byzantine icon is traditionally associated with the banner donated by the Pope to Roger I of Sicily during the Council of Melfi. The cathedral has an unusual two-sided crucifix by an unknown artist. The Diocesan Museum holds reliquaries, articles of silverware, monstrances and other religious art works. (updated Feb 2021)

The town is nestled on hills and was built in two parts - first by the Saracens in the 10th century and then developed to the southeast in the 15th and then again the 17th centuries. There are many wonderful buildings to see including the 18th century Duomo, which dominates the town standing majestically on top of a hill, the elegant town hall and grand old palazzi such as the Palazzo Trigona. For those who enjoy wandering through small streets and finding hidden places, try the 13th-century area round the Via Monte near the Duomo.

• Ristorante da Gianna