The Villa Romana del Tellaro Noto Antica Eloro The Sanctuaries Castelluccio Vendicari

From the town centre, following the Noto - Pachino street you arrive at the bridge over the Tellaro river; next you turn on the right. After about 100 meters, you can see the signals to the Villa Romana del Tellaro, an important archeological site for the sicilian history of the Roman Age.

Between the IV and V century, Sicily has a strategic increase wich make itself the forward position of Rome to penetrate the North of Africa and the Mediterranean. Also an economic improvement granted by the role of food producer. Moreover, after the reform of Diocleziano in 297 a.C. to decentralize the administration, the local government became an important office for roman nobles. Then in Sicily arrived a lot of important people from Rome for private or public reasons which tended to build large manors in their possessions to establish their power. It was large buildings like the manor in Piazza Armerina, residences for a noble class of people still more tied to the province.

The Villa Romana of Tellaro, in the weastern part of Eloro, along the Tellaro river, is one of this buildings. It is a regal residence, with mosaics pretty like the most known in Piazza Armerina; but it also are medallions, and a painting inspired to the Iliade, hunting scenes, and some more. The floors are the most beautiful and artistic in Italy for archeologist and their are divided depending on their subject. They represent hunting scenes, the ransom for Ettore's body, and other themes. The dating is tied to the finding of some coins from the Roman Emperors of the IV century a.C. The manor was probably five thousand square meters large and it was destroyed by a fire as seen by an examination to the foundations.

made by Antonino Parisi