Mosaics in Villa Romana del Casale

Had they seen the spectacular mosaics at Villa Romana del Casale in central Sicily, would Annibale Carracci and Giulio Romano have painted differently? From heroic depictions of Hercules defeating colossal giants, Ulysses about to trick Polyphemus, to massive hunting scenes taking place in Africa and children racing chariots drawn by birds—room after room, the floors of the villa, measuring over 3500 sq meters, are decorated with most elaborate and naturalistic Roman mosaics. It is a unique record of a sprawling, luxurious private home which probably belonged to a 5th-century Roman governor stationed in the arid mountains of central Sicily. Here, charming and humorous scenes from contemporary life are mixed with erudite episodes from Greek mythology, such as that of Arion and Orpheus, that tied into the function of the rooms. These mosaics miraculously survived in the arid landscape of central Sicily, hidden for centuries under a landslide until, they were excavated, for the most part, in the 1950s.