AN EXTRAORDINARY EXPERIENCE OF ROMAN MATERIAL CULTURE
Discovered by chance during works on the Messina-Palermo motorway, the Villa was the epicentre of one of the latifundia that typified Sicilian agriculture in late antiquity. A perfect example of Roman architecture enriched by beautiful polychrome mosaics.
Notices(3)
- REOPENING OF THE ROMAN VILLA OF PATTI
We inform you that starting from June 16th, the Roman Villa of Patti will reopen to the public with regular opening hours.
- FIRST SUNDAY OF THE MONTH
On the first Sunday of the month admission to sites in Eastern Sicily is free of charge and tickets will only be issued on site, at the ticket offices. Tickets can only be used on the date/time chosen at the time of purchase.
- FREE TICKETS
Free admission tickets can only be purchased on site.
Services(3)
- Educational Activities
- Official ticket office
- Skip-the-line Entrance
Reductions(4)
For REDUCED and FREE tickets, proof of the right to use these tickets will have to be shown. Where the visitor fails to produce such documentation at the ticket office, a FULL-PRICE ticket will have to be purchased.
Reduced
2types- •EU citizens aged between 18 and 25 (the age limit is considered exceeded from the day following the completion of the 25th year of age).
- •Members of FAI
Free
17types- •Visitors under the age of eighteen. Under-twelves must be accompanied by an adult
- •Disabled persons and one family member or companion who can show their membership to health and care services.
- •European Union tourist guides in the exercise of their professional activity, presenting a valid licence issued by the competent authority
- •Tour interpreters from the European Union working alongside the guide, upon presentation of a valid licence issued by the competent authority
- •Permanent staff of the Sicilian Regional Department for Cultural Heritage and Identity
- •Members of I.C.O.M. (International Council of Museums)
- •Groups of students from public and private schools in the European Union accompanied by their teachers, subject to prior booking and within the quota established by venue management
- •Students on advanced training courses at the Ministry's Schools (Central Institute for Restoration. Opificio delle Pietre Dure. Mosaic Restoration School) and courses at the Regional Centre for Planning and Restoration
- •Teachers and students enrolled in Fine Arts Academies or corresponding institutes of the European Union, by showing their enrolment certificate for the current academic year
- •Lecturers and students on degree courses, specialist degree courses or post-graduate specialisation and PhD courses in the following faculties: architecture, conservation of cultural heritage, education sciences or literature and philosophy with an archaeological or historical-artistic focus. The same benefits are due to teachers and students of corresponding universities or courses, present in the European Union States.
- •Journalists who have regularly paid their membership fees, and who present suitable documents proving their professional activity (DDG n.1109 of 7/09/2019 DG-Musei).
- •Operators of volunteer associations working at the premises through agreements with the Department of Cultural Heritage and Sicilian Identity
- •Teaching staff -permanent school or with a fixed-term contract- of the Italian school, upon presentation of a suitable certificate issued by the educational institutions. The certificate is annual and valid for the academic year in progress.
- •Honorary Inspectors of Cultural Heritage in Sicily
- •Members of the I.C.C.R.O.M. (International Centre for the Study of the Conservation and Restoration of Cultural Heritage)
- •Members of the military of the Cultural Heritage Protection Unit
- •Italian and foreign scholars for study or research purposes certified by Italian or foreign school or university institutions, academies, research and culture institutes as well as by the Ministry, for particular and justified needs, the Directors can allow individual subjects who request it free admission for specific periods.
Full Cumulative
1Type- •Allows FULL entry to the Archaeological Park of Tindari and the Roman Villa of Patti. The ticket is valid for 3 days from the first entry.
Reduced Cumulative
1Type- •Allows REDUCED entry to the Archaeological Park of Tindari and to the Roman Villa of Patti. The ticket is valid for 3 days from the first entry. The reduction is valid for: - EU citizens aged between 18-25 years - FAI Members
Duration
About 1 hour and 30 minutes
Description
The Roman Villa of Patti: a lucky find
Patti’s origin is closely linked to the ancient Greco-Roman city of Tindari, one of the most important archaeological sites in Sicily. The earliest historical records of the city's existence date back to 1094 when Roger of Altavilla founded the Benedictine monastery of the Santissimo Salvatore in Patti; but various necropolises and the Villa Romana testify to the existence of much earlier settlements. It is believed that the exiles of Tindari took refuge in the Patti area after the great landslide that destroyed much of the town in the first century (according to Pliny: 'dimidiam Tyndarica urbem'”).
The discovery of the Roman Villa at Patti Marina is due to a lucky chance. In 1973, during construction work on the Messina-Palermo motorway, excavations for the foundations of a viaduct between the promontory of Tindari and Gioiosa Marea brought to light a Roman patrician villa of extraordinary beauty.
The master of the latifundia
Built in the early 4th century A.D. on the remains of earlier buildings, the Roman Villa of Patti combines a residential function with a productive one. The owner was probably an army veteran or a high-ranking imperial official who was given the opportunity to enrich himself with Sicilian grain, which had reacquired value after the revolts in the African colonies. Although severely damaged by an earthquake at the end of the same century, the villa continued to be frequented - as attested by inhumation burials from the 6th century and the finding of ceramics and coins dating back as far as the 10th and 11th centuries AD.
The floor plan of the villa
In ancient times, the main façade of the villa was presumably underlined by a monumental entrance facing the sea, and was developed in the northernmost part of the area, where a succession of quadrangular pillars is visible. Currently, the complex is accessed through a secondary entrance on the west side, which leads directly into the large Peristyle (the portico that surrounds the inner courtyard in Roman villas).
The Peristyle, the Bacchus Mosaic and the Baths
The Peristyle is the focal point of the villa, around which the private, living, reception and service areas are distributed. It opens on to a central garden with a continuous series of segmental arches, and is decorated with a polychrome floor mosaic consisting of a symmetrical composition of squares bordered by laurel wreaths, braids and broken meanders. There are also figurative scenes, such as the Bacchus Mosaic, in which the god is depicted in a circular medallion surrounded by chariots drawn by antelopes and panthers.
On the south side of the Peristyle, the dining room (triclinium) is fronted by a majestic round arch, and it too is decorated by floor mosaics with circle and almond patterns delineating depictions of domestic and wild animals.
To the north-east of the architectural complex are the Baths, clearly visible when walking along the Peristyle from the outer side.
The Antiquarium
The Antiquarium of the Roman Villa at Patti Marina presents visitors with a variety of artefacts and fragments that have emerged from the excavations, offering a picture of daily life in the magnificent residence and the material culture of its inhabitants.
The exhibits include objects in terracotta (bell-shaped pottery, sealed earthenware, transport amphorae), marble artefacts (including the torso of a male statue, a bas-relief with sacrificial scene, inscriptions and architectural elements), funerary objects and a collection of small bone and metal objects. The chronology of the materials is documented by illustrations along the walls.
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