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piazza armerina |
| To the south of Enna , less than an hour away by bus, PIAZZA
ARMERINA lies amid thick tree-planted hills, a quiet, unassuming place
mainly seventeenth and eighteenth century in appearance, its skyline
pierced by towers, the houses huddled together under the joint
protection of castle and cathedral. All in all, it is a thoroughly
pleasant place to idle around, though the real local draw is an imperial
Roman villa that stands in rugged countryside at Casale, 5km southwest
of Piazza Armerina. Hidden under mud for 700 years, the excavated
remains reveal a rich villa, probably a hunting lodge and summer home,
decorated with polychromatic mosaic floors that are unique in the Roman
world for their unrivalled quality and extent. Buses drop you in Piazza Sen. Marescalchi, in the lower town. The old town is up the hill, centred around Piazza Garibaldi, off which is the tourist office , at Via Cavour 15 (Mon-Fri 9am-2pm, also Wed 3.30-6.30pm; tel 0935.680.201). The only central hotel choice is the rather noisily sited Villa Romana , Via A. de Gasperi 18 (tel & fax 0935.682.911; L120,000-150,000/¬61.98-77.47), which only has a few rooms without bath at a lower price. You'd do much better to secure a room at the Mosaici da Battiato , in Contrada Paratore (tel & fax 0935.685.453; L60,000-90,000/¬30.99-46.48; closed late Nov to late Dec), 4km out of town at the turn-off to the villa, which is just a kilometre from the hotel. A friendly place, it has twenty-three rooms with bath and a grill-restaurant where you can eat very well for under L30,000/¬15.60. Taxis here won't be prohibitively expensive, while the bus to the mosaics passes right by. Immediately across from here, La Ruota (tel 0935.680.542) has space for camping . For eating , La Tavernetta , in town at Via Cavour 14 (closed Sun), isn't bad value for money, or alternatively try Da Pepito , Via Roma 140 (closed Tues evening in winter), opposite the park, which serves tasty Sicilian dishes. |