Villa romana di Realmonte
Roman maritime villa of the imperial age with thermal rooms and mosaics, overlooking the sea at Punta Grande in Realmonte.
Have only individual sections read aloud
About the museum
The Roman villa of Durrueli, also known as Punta Grande, is a maritime residence (villa maritima) of the imperial age, with main phases between the 1st and 2nd centuries AD. It stands in the bay between Punta Piccola and Punta Grande, at the mouth of the Cottone stream, a few kilometres from the commercial emporium of ancient Agrigentum and a few hundred metres from the Scala dei Turchi.
Tradition links it to Publius Annius, a businessman involved in the sulphur trade. The site was discovered in December 1907 during work on the Porto Empedocle–Siculiana railway line; in 1908 the archaeologist Antonio Salinas intervened to save the valuable opus tessellatum and opus sectile floors.
The complex includes a residential sector with a peristyle garden and a thermal sector with apodyterium, calidarium and frigidarium, where a mosaic depicting Scylla survives. In recent years the Parco archeologico e paesaggistico Valle dei Templi has funded restoration and enhancement work, which allowed the area to reopen to visitors from 2023, while new excavation campaigns have brought further thermal rooms to light.
Highlights
- Floor mosaics in opus tessellatum and opus sectile
- Mosaic with Scylla in the thermal sector
- Peristyle garden in the residential sector
- Seaside location, close to the Scala dei Turchi
- Operated by
- Parco archeologico e paesaggistico Valle dei Templi, in accordo con il Comune di Realmonte
- Visitors per year
- approx. 1,000
Admission & discounts
| Adults | €4 |
|---|---|
| Reduced | €2 |
| Guided visit with an archaeologist (Friday mornings, June–September), standard | €7About one hour, three slots at 10:00, 11:00 and 12:00; information and booking on the CoopCulture website. |
| Guided visit with an archaeologist, reduced | €5 |
Free admission: First Sunday of the month, as a site of the Valle dei Templi park (like the Sicilian state and regional sites).
Tickets can be bought on site; the prices (€4 and €2) were reported by the local press in June 2026.
Accessibility
The museum hasn’t published any information on this.
Kids & families
The museum hasn’t published any information on this.
Getting there & parking
The villa is located at Punta Grande, on the coast of Realmonte, a few hundred metres from the Scala dei Turchi.
Get directionsAmenities & dining
The museum hasn’t published any information on this.
Events & venue rental
The museum hasn’t published any information on this.
Plan your visit
| Guided tours | yes · approx. 60 min |
|---|---|
| Good to know | Guided visits with CoopCulture archaeologists take place on Friday mornings from June to September, in three slots (10:00, 11:00, 12:00). |
