Villa Romana di Patti Marina, Patti

The Villa Romana di Patti is a large Roman villa located in the comune of Patti in the province of Messina on Sicily. It was the seat of a latifundium.History and descriptionThe villa was discovered in 1973 during construction work on a stretch of the A20 motorway, when part of the north side of the villa was destroyed.Although excavation is continuing and many rooms still need to be revealed, the general configuration of the villa is already quite clear.The original villa was constructed in the 2nd-3rd c. AD which was demolished to make way for a larger and much more elaborate villa built over it in the early 4th c. AD.The nucleus of the villa consists of a peristyle surrounded by the residential rooms of the villa, yypical of the late Roman villa. The most representative rooms are, on the west wing, the particularly large Aula Absidata ("apse hall") which recalls the Piazza Armerina basilica, and on the south wing a tri-apsidal room where the peristyle overlooks the sea. The Aula Absidata contained a mosaic floor which was destroyed, but the mosaic floors of the peristyle and tri-apse are in excellent condition. The east–west orientation of the Aula Absidata, different to the north-south axis of the peristyle, raises doubts on its function and dating, suggesting that it might have been a church built after the owner had converted to Christianity.

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