Casignana
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Casignana | |
|---|---|
  Casignana Location of in Italy  Casignana Casignana (Calabria) | |
| Coordinates: 38°6′N 16°5′E / 38.100°N 16.083°E | |
| Country | Italy |
| Region | Calabria |
| Metropolitan city | Reggio Calabria |
| Frazioni | Bianco, Bovalino, Caraffa del Bianco, San Luca, Sant'Agata del Bianco |
| Area | |
• Total | 24.54 km2 (9.47 sq mi) |
| Population (2018-01-01)[2] | |
• Total | 742 |
| Time zone | UTC+1 (CET) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC+2 (CEST) |
Casignana is a comune (municipality) in the Province of Reggio Calabria in region of Calabria, Italy and located about 35 km (22 mi) east of Reggio Calabria.
It is best known for the monumental ancient Roman villa at Palazzi di Casignana which can be visited.[3]
It was an extensive luxurious villa maritima located on the seashore and probably on the ancient road linking Locri and Rhegion (Reggio Calabria).[4]
The residential part of the villa has rooms arranged around a large peristyle courtyard. The "room of the four seasons" and apsidal room have mosaic floors.
On the opposite side of the modern road is a richly decorated large private bath complex. Mosaic floors include the frigidarium ("room of the Nereids") dated to the 3rd century which depicts a marine thiasos in large white and green tiles with four female figures riding a lion, a bull, a horse and a tiger terminating in a fish tail. The room has an octagonal plan with four apsidal sides and has two basins for cold water. The calidarium with a hypocaust heating system and clay pipes on the walls, also has an octagonal plan and mosaic flooring in small tiles and must have been covered by a vault. The complex also includes a rectangular hall paved with coloured marble slabs (opus sectile).
There is a monumental nymphaeum with cisterns.
The Roman statio of Altanum was also located at the villa.[5]
