Roman Villa Palazzi di Casignana
It is of exceptional size and quality, extending over 15 hectares and with sumptuous decorations including mosaic floors and exotic marbles covering the walls.
The ancient city of Locri, 15 km away, probably played an important role in the economy and life of the owners.
The most grandiose development was between the 3rd and 4th centuries with the addition of a monumental residential area, including the sumptuous apsidal Room I with rich floors and exotic marble veneers.
The display of wealth would have impressed a sense of supremacy on guests to convivial and aristocratic banquets and gatherings which the presence of baths and reception rooms also support.
[11] The coastal area, however, was abandoned in the 5th century due probably to Arab incursions which led to development of centres in the safest hills in the interior, such as Gerace.
The residential part (pars urbana) of the villa with a grand facade overlooking the sea is on the eastern side.
On the western side of the peristyle (and the modern road) is a richly decorated large private double bath complex.
Portico 17 is on the northern and western sides of the baths giving the Western Baths a monumental entrance from the garden and an exercise area from where the bather would pass into a small corridor then into the frigidarium (room 12), one of the most opulent and elegant rooms of the entire villa.
This room has an octagonal plan with four apses and two pools, and measures about 6 x 6 m with walls veneered in exotic marble, some of which is still visible today.
Room 36 has two heated pools (32 and 33), both veneered in exotic marble, and a floor with a complex, polychrome geometric mosaic.
Room 9 of the frigidarium suite (9 & 25) has a mosaic floor dated to the 3rd century of large green and white tesserae of different shades depicting a marine thiasos of four Nereids riding a sea monster in the form of a horse, lion, bull and a tiger all terminating in fish tails.
A huge cold bath in the south side of the room is paved with a monochrome mosaic and its walls tiled with 1.5 m high marble slabs.
Three windows from this pool opened onto the garden, and the room also had a vaulted ceiling with mosaic imitating the sky.
A monumental entrance from the peristyle (room 52) was created and a flight of four steps was added on the eastern side.
The sumptuous decoration of floor mosaics, wall marble veneers and frescoes show the importance of this room as the main hall of the villa in the fourth century.
The central mosaic features a polychrome motif while the western arm of the cruciform plan has a monochrome composition of hexagons within six-pointed stars.
