Piazza Amerina
Buon giorno! Today, we are on our way to Piazza Armerina. On our first stop in Caltagirone we visited the terracotta animated scenes by Salvatore Milazzo. Salvatore is famous for his animated terracotta village. It was simply amazing to see the animated terracotta village in action. You have to see it to believe it.
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One highlight of Caltagirone is undoubtedly the 142 steps that connect the lower town with the older upper town. The upright of each step is decorated with ceramic tiles, offering a colorful alternative to the grey lava stone of the horizontal parts. During the last two weeks of May the steps are home to a festival known as the "Infiorita" in which they are covered by an enormous floral display as you can see here.
Did you know that the tile on each of the 142 steps is decorated with a unique and colorful design? |
Our next stop was at the Villa Romana del Casale. The floor mosaics in this 4th century Roman villa are said to be some of the richest and best preserved in the world. Some believe the villa was a hunting lodge used by the Roman emperor Maximian. The villa was abandoned and covered by a mudslide in the 1200s. This protected the mosaics until they were excavated in the 1880s.
Did you know the famous Bikini Girls mosaic was not discovered until the late 1950s? |
We arrived at our Agriturismo, the Torre di Renda late in the afternoon for some free time to explore the surrounding beautiful countryside and relax. The town of Piazza Armerina is across the valley in the distance.
Tomorrow is our last day of touring. We are heading to the famous Valley of the Temples near Agrigento. |