Piazza Armerina: what to see, where to stay and how to get around

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The Villa Romana del Casale holds the most complete collection of Roman mosaics anywhere, and it is the reason most people stop in Piazza Armerina. Walkways take you above the floors of hunting scenes, myths and sporting girls. In the afternoon, climb through the town the Normans built on the hill nearby. Half a day; the villa is busy late morning.

A short history of Piazza Armerina

The present town was rebuilt after the Norman king William I destroyed the earlier one in 1161, and many of its inhabitants were settlers from northern Italy, who left behind a Lombard dialect that can still be heard today. About five kilometres from the town lies the Villa Romana del Casale, a 4th-century AD hunting estate whose floors are covered with some 3,500 square metres of mosaics, among them the famous "Bikini Girls". The villa was buried under a mudslide in the 12th century and uncovered only in the 20th century. In 1997 it was declared a World Heritage Site. Every August the town commemorates the Normans with the Palio dei Normanni.

The ten best sights in Piazza Armerina

1
Villa Romana del Casale
The reason to stop here: Roman mosaics in a vast villa; come at opening time
2
Piazza Armerina Cathedral
On the highest point of town; its dome is seen from every road in
3
Diocesan Museum
Church silver and treasures next to the cathedral; half an hour
4
Aragonese Castle
A square 14th-century castle below the cathedral; seen from outside
5
Morgantina
A Greek city on a ridge near Aidone; agora and theatre, few visitors
6
Aidone Archaeological Museum
Where the goddess of Morgantina came home; do it with the site
7
Castello di Lombardia
Huge castle at the top of Enna; climb the tower for half of Sicily
8
Enna Cathedral
Rich wooden ceiling inside; on the main street of the old town
9
Santa Maria del Monte, Caltagirone
At the top of the tiled staircase, 142 steps up
10
Caltagirone Ceramics Museum
Sicilian pottery from prehistory to today, in the public garden

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What is an audio walk?

Tours in Piazza Armerina →

A guide in your headphones: open the walk on our site, walk from stop to stop, and at each one your phone tells its story. No guide, no group, and free. This is the first walk in Piazza Armerina:

Free walking tours in Piazza Armerina

Mosaics and the Norman town

Villa Romana del Casale · A huge country villa of the early 4th century AD, probably built for a member of the Roman senatorial elite. A landslide buried it in the Middle Ages, and that saved some 3,500 square metres of mosaic floors.
Villa Romana del Casale — the Great Hunt · The long corridor shows wild animals being captured in Africa and India and loaded on ships for the arenas of Rome. Nearby, ten young women in two-piece outfits run, throw a discus and lift weights — the famous bikini girls.
Piazza Garibaldi · Back in town, the square is the centre of the old town. People here speak a Gallo-Italic dialect, brought by settlers from northern Italy in Norman times.
Piazza Armerina Cathedral · The cathedral keeps a Byzantine icon, the Madonna delle Vittorie, said to have been given by the Pope to Count Roger, the Norman who took Sicily from the Arabs. Every August the town celebrates him in the Palio dei Normanni.
Diocesan Museum · Next door to the cathedral, it shows the church silver and vestments of the town. Short and quiet after the crowds of the villa.
Aragonese Castle · A square castle with corner towers, built in the late 14th century. It is closed to visitors, but the lanes around it are the oldest part of town.

Persephone country

The middle of Sicily was the land of Demeter and her daughter Persephone, and the myth is set right here. The route visits a Greek city whose goddess came home from America, a lake where Hades rose from below, and Enna on its mountain. Roads are quiet and hilly. A full day by car.

Morgantina · A city of the Sicels that became Greek, built on a long ridge. Its agora has a rare stepped assembly area, and the Romans sacked the city in 211 BC.
Aidone Archaeological Museum · The museum holds the goddess of Morgantina, a statue over two metres tall that was looted, sold to the Getty Museum in California and returned to Sicily in 2011. A silver hoard and a head of Hades also came back from America.
Castello di Lombardia · Enna is the highest provincial capital in Italy, at over 900 metres, and the castle stands at its top. Its name comes from soldiers from Lombardy who garrisoned it in the Middle Ages.
Enna Cathedral · Founded in the early 14th century and rebuilt after a fire; inside, the ceiling is carved and painted wood. It stands on the main street that runs the length of the hilltop town.
Lake Pergusa · Ovid placed the abduction of Persephone by Hades at a lake near Enna, and this is it: the girl was picking flowers on its shore. Strangely, a motor-racing circuit now runs round it.
Aidone Archaeological Museum — Hades · End the loop on a fitting note: the head of Hades in the museum, with traces of blue paint still in his beard, is the god of the Persephone story told at Pergusa.

The town of tiles

Half an hour south, Caltagirone has been the pottery town of Sicily for centuries, and its tiles are on bridges, benches and stairs. The walk goes from the ceramics museum through the centre to the long tiled staircase. It is steep, but every step is different. Half a day.

Caltagirone Ceramics Museum · Caltagirone has made pottery for well over a thousand years, using the clay of its own hills. The museum runs from prehistoric pots to the painted majolica that still fills the town's shops.
Public Garden, Caltagirone · The 19th-century public garden around the museum is decorated with ceramic vases, benches and balustrades. A shady place to start before the climb.
Ponte San Francesco, Caltagirone · This 17th-century bridge joins two hills of the town, and its parapets are faced with painted tiles. Below it, the view drops into a ravine.
Cathedral of San Giuliano, Caltagirone · Like most of Caltagirone, the cathedral was rebuilt after the great earthquake of 1693 that destroyed the towns of southeast Sicily. Its facade is from the 20th century.
Piazza Municipio, Caltagirone · The square at the foot of the staircase, with the arcaded Corte Capitaniale on one side. Have a coffee before you climb.
Santa Maria del Monte, Caltagirone · The staircase of 142 steps was built in 1608, and each riser was faced with hand-painted tiles in the 1950s. On the nights of 24 and 25 July it is lit with thousands of oil lamps for the town's patron, St James.

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Getting to Piazza Armerina and getting around

Enna station · The nearest railway, half an hour north; trains to Catania and Palermo

Cheap eats in Piazza Armerina

Piazza Armerina is an inland town, and lunch here is cheaper and heartier than on the coast. The bars on the main square do arancine, pastries and good coffee. In the trattorias, look for local meat, pecorino and seasonal greens. Coffee costs about €1, a plate of pasta about €8-12.

Caffè del Centro · Bar by the main square; espresso €1-1.50, arancina about €2-3
Bar della Stazione · Bar on the edge of the old town; coffee and snacks about €1-4
Trattoria del Goloso · Simple trattoria near the square; pasta about €8-12
da Totò · Local place on Via Mazzini; a lunch plate about €8-14

Museums in Piazza Armerina

Villa Romana del Casale · Roman mosaics; two to three hours
Aidone Archaeological Museum · The goddess of Morgantina and the silver hoard
Diocesan Museum · Church treasures by the cathedral
Caltagirone Ceramics Museum · Pottery through the ages

Nature and day trips near Piazza Armerina

Lake Pergusa · A natural lake and reserve near Enna
Morgantina · Open ridge with ruins and big views
Castello di Lombardia · Tower view over half the island

Things to do in Piazza Armerina with kids

Villa Romana del Casale — bikini girls · Find the girls playing sport, the boy chased by a bird, the giants
Santa Maria del Monte, Caltagirone · Count all 142 tiled steps
Lake Pergusa · Walk by the water; spot birds

Where to eat in Piazza Armerina

Trattoria La Locanda · On the cathedral square; inland Sicilian cooking
Trattoria La Ruota · Country trattoria near the villa; good for lunch after the mosaics
Amici Miei · Restaurant by the main square
Ristorante Teatro · Near the old theatre

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Frequently asked questions about Piazza Armerina

What is there to see in Piazza Armerina?

The top sights in Piazza Armerina are Villa Romana del Casale, Piazza Armerina Cathedral and Diocesan Museum. The full list on this page has 10 sights, each with a photo and a short note.

How many days do you need in Piazza Armerina?

Three to four days are enough to see the best of Piazza Armerina without rushing, including at least one walking tour.

Is there a free walking tour in Piazza Armerina?

Yes. sleepntrip has 3 free audio walks in Piazza Armerina, with no guide and no group: your phone tells the story at every stop. The first one: Mosaics and the Norman town.

How do you get to Piazza Armerina and get around?

The main ways are Enna station. Full details are in the transport section on this page.

Where to stay in Piazza Armerina, and for how much?

sleepntrip shows only rooms in Piazza Armerina that meet nine conditions: a good location, high guest scores, cleanliness, and a price of up to $80 a night for two. Pick your dates and see what is free.

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