House Grounds of the "Villa San Pancrazio"
Province Description
Sicily, the largest island in the Mediterranean, was colonised by Greeks from the later eighth century B. C., with Syracuse becoming the largest and most powerful Greek polis; in time most of the indigenous settlements of the interior also became profoundly Hellenized. The western tip of the island was settled by Phoenicians and later became an outpost of Carthaginian control. In the third century B. C. Sicily became embroiled in the First Punic War which resulted in Rome's acquisition of the island as its first overseas provincia in 241 B. C.; in 211 B. C. Sicily was above all famed for its agricultural fertility and its capacity to produce exceptional grain yields (wheat and barley), and to a lesser extent wine. By the time of the Roman Empire the principal flourishing cities were located on the coast, with much of the interior given over to scattered agricultural villages, villas and farms.
Region
Location
Garden
Villa at Patti Marina
Keywords
Garden Description
In private housing at this site on the east coast no excavation has so far been attempted to reveal the presence of gardens, and little is known of the arrangements for running water in houses to irrigate such gardens or to supply ornamental pools and fountains. This town house has a small rectangular pool with a small semicircular recess (Farrar Type B) at the south end of the garden peristyle, facing what was presumably the principal dining room at the south end of the house. The precise date is uncertain.
Plans
Bibliography
G. M. Bacci, Attivita della soprintendenza: Taormina, Kokalos 39-40 (1993-94): 945-7. (worldcat)
Pool types: L. Farrar, Ancient Roman Gardens, Stroud, 1998, pp. 71-84.(worldcat)