Area archeologica di Solunto
Hellenistic-Roman city on Monte Catalfano near Santa Flavia, with a Hippodamian layout, an agora, a theatre and an antiquarium.
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About the museum
Solunto lies east of Palermo, near Santa Flavia. The first settlement was Phoenician and occupied the promontory of Solanto and the plateau of San Cristoforo, in a position favourable to trade with the hinterland. The coastal centre of the archaic-classical period was destroyed by Dionysius of Syracuse at the beginning of the 4th century BC, and the city was refounded on the nearby Monte Catalfano. The park comprises only this settlement of the Hellenistic-Roman period.
The urban layout is regular, of the Hippodamian type, with three north–south axes and eight east–west streets. The houses often have a peristyle courtyard with two-storey colonnades and rooms decorated with refined floors and walls. Rainwater was collected in private cisterns, while two large public cisterns served the agora and the craft quarter. The public area includes the monumental agora with portico, a bath building, the theatre, the bouleuterion, the gymnasium and a large sacred area on an upper terrace.
The dedication of the Res Publica Soluntinorum to Fulvia Plautilla, wife of Caracalla, dated between AD 202 and 205, marks the traditional chronological limit of the city, which was gradually abandoned in the late imperial period. The archaeological area includes an antiquarium with two pavilions: one with architectural and decorative elements from the houses, including the mosaic with the armillary sphere from the House of Leda, and the other with pottery from the settlement and the necropolis.
Highlights
- Hippodamian urban layout of the Hellenistic-Roman period
- Monumental agora with portico and cistern
- Theatre, bouleuterion and gymnasium
- Peristyle houses with decorated floors
- Antiquarium with the armillary sphere mosaic (House of Leda)
Permanent exhibition
- Area archeologica e antiquarium di Solunto – Route through the streets, peristyle houses, agora and theatre of the Hellenistic-Roman city, with the antiquarium displaying capitals, mosaics and pottery.
- Operated by
- Parco archeologico di Himera, Solunto e Iato (Regione Siciliana)
- Visitors per year
- approx. 13,451
Admission & discounts
| Adults | €6 |
|---|---|
| Reduced | €3EU citizens aged 18 to 25 (also non-EU, with reciprocity) |
| Children & teens | freefree up to age 17 · Free admission for under-18s; under-12s must be accompanied by an adult. |
| Visitors with disabilities | –companion free · Free admission for a family member or companion of people with disabilities, with certification of membership of socio-health services. |
Free admission: First Sunday of the month and on occasions announced by the Regione.
The same ticket covers the archaeological area and the antiquarium. Free admission also for EU tourist guides and interpreters, ICOM members, journalists, teachers and other categories provided for by regional regulations.
Accessibility
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Kids & families
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Getting there & parking
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Amenities & dining
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Events & venue rental
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