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Photo by Holger Uwe Schmitt
seems to be the complete opposite: the AD. The estate fell into decline in the early
silent and utterly sedentary Roman mo‐ Middle Ages, then was buried in a landslide
saics on the floors of the ancient Villa Ro‐ sometime in the 12th century, erasing it
mana del Casale. from memory. For centuries it was aban‐
I used the word “seems” because these doned to farmland. Cows and crops skirt‐
stony images and patterns, that hadn’t ing around the handful of remaining
moved or felt the tread of human feet for upright columns.
more than 1,500 years, have an energy and But bits and pieces began to be redis‐
animation that matches any Sicilian city covered in the 19th century and a hundred
plaza. years later excavations were in full swing.
The Villa is the remains of a grand Ro‐ Today the Villa is a UNESCO World Her‐
man estate dating from approximately 320 itage Site and a major tourist draw. Ar‐
222 WINE DINE & TRAVEL MAGAZINE SUMMER 2024
