Caltagirone & Piazza Armerina(Villa Romana del Casale)

Our program

Departure time 8:00 - Return time 18:00

A few hours from Taormina, going through Catania's piana, we will arrive to Piazza Armerina, a majestic town behind Enna. Crossing the centre there is the Duomo and some chirches from the eighteenth century built in tuff stone. At the foot of the city there are the ruins of the Villa Romana. We will need about two hours for the visit.
Optional lunch and departure to Caltagirone.Crossing some rural villages, we will arrive to Caltagirone. The city is divided in two, the high and the low part. The most interesting monuments are in the high part, which we recommend to be exploredby foot.
You must visit the Villa Comunale,the Scala di S.Maria and Monte, the Dolcetti di Militello.

Caltagirone

Whoever arrives in Caltagirone can't miss a presence that invades the city : The Ceramic, which dominates not just shops ( with dishes, vases, furnishings ) but beautifies bridges, balustrades, facades and balconies. Everything is born from the wealth of clay in the area.
The easiness in finding this material, gives impulse to create terracotta artifacts, especially vases. In this area, art is ancient as much as the city's origins.

Piazza Armerina

It's assumed that the first civilization in the territory of Piazza Armerina was the Greek one. As a matter of fact there are some sites from that period. About the history of the city, it is known with certainty just of the Norman domination and on.
This city is famous especially for the beautiful Villa Romana del Casale, at the foot of the city, which owes its fame at the floor built entirely in mosaic that depicts mithologic.