Piazza Amerina

Piazza Amerina was by far the most beautiful sight I have even seen. I was quite impressed that most of the mosaics were well preserved, with the exception of a few rooms. Pepe pointed out that one room appeared in poor condition because it was built over sand and that over time the earth had shifted. It was interesting to see how certain rooms such as the hallways (The Great Hunt), the workout room, and the erotic room appeared virtually untouched, yet other rooms were completely destroyed. During Dr. Ponturro’s lecture the other day we asked how these beautiful mosaics were built. She explained that a drawing of the mosaic was first drawn up on cardboard, and then copied onto the floor. Finally the cement and tiles were strategically placed on the floor. I can only imagine how much time, money, and slave labor went into making such a beautiful work of art. Each room was filled with vibrant mosaics which sparked in me a new interst for Roman art and culture. I particularly enjoyed the hallway which Pepe pointed out represented people and animals from both Eat and West. From what I can recall, Pepe stated that this hallway represented “The Great Hunt”, in which animals from all over were brought back to Rome. I remember this mosaic being particularly breathtaking because it was well preserved and because it depicts a variety of animals. The intention of this mosaic was to show all animals that were captured throughout the empire.