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A 3.54 million euro plan to revive one of the most important archaeological jewels of the Tindari Archaeological Park. The Roman Villa of San Biagio, in Terme Vigliatore, is ready to change its face thanks to an ambitious redevelopment and valorization project. In recent days, the executive decree was signed which officially starts the operational phase. The deed bears the signature of the architect. Giuseppe Alongi, director of Service 7 of the Department of Cultural Heritage and Sicilian Identity. The intervention is financed with resources from the 2021/27 Development and Cohesion Fund.
The technical and economic feasibility project was developed by a staff led by the architect. Guglielmo Pirrone (designer), together with Dr. Annunziata F. Ollà (archaeologist), to the architect. Rocco Burgio, to the geom. Giovanni Manera, to the architect. Piero Lipari and the doctors. Claudio Casamento and Fabio Torre (restorer), with Giuseppe Natoli, director of the Archaeological Park of Tindari, in the role of Sole Responsible for the Procedure. The geological study was carried out by Dr. Salvatore Armeli, while the geognostic investigations were carried out by the SGM Società Geognostica Mediterranea.
The objective of the intervention is to secure and preserve the remains of the Villa (dating back to the Roman imperial age) and finally make it accessible and attractive to a wider public, with modern visit routes, services and a renewed archaeological narrative. «The restoration of the Roman Villa of San Biagio is not an isolated intervention, but – explains the designer, arch. Arturo Alberti – an opportunity to reconnect great archeology with the community and territory of Terme Vigliatore, combining history, cultural services and green transition. With this project we transform the archaeological site into a living urban park, combining the technological restoration of the historical roofs with the creation of a new Antiquarium for the city”.
The Roman Villa of San Biagio, with its mosaics, the baths and the extraordinary position overlooking the sea, represents one of the most significant testimonies of the Roman presence in Sicily, but for years the site suffered from only partial valorisation. «This decree – comments the director of the Archaeological Park of Tindari, Giuseppe Natoli – is a turning point that has been awaited for decades. It is not just a restoration, but a rebirth project. The Villa of San Biagio can become the pivot of a cultural and tourist system that unites Tindari, the Roman Villa of Terme Vigliatore and the entire Tyrrhenian area. With these 3.5 million we restore dignity to a very high level site.”
The relaunch of the Villa of San Biagio is part of a broader strategic plan of the Tindari Archaeological Park. The timetable foresees the closure of the executive planning within the next few months and the opening of the construction site during 2026, with the aim of returning a modern, accessible and safe archaeological park to the community and visitors. «The Roman Villa of San Biagio is the very identity of our community. Seeing it finally at the center of such an important investment repays us for years of battles and waiting. In recent years – is the comment of the mayor Bartolo Cipriano – we have managed to defend the financing, fighting tooth and nail, thanks also to the availability demonstrated by the Superintendence and the current management of the archaeological park, governed by the architect. Giuseppe Natoli. This intervention is not just culture, it is economic development, it is integrated tourism, it is work for our territory, with concrete consequences for our businesses, our young people and for the image of Terme Vigliatore”.