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The Villa Romana del Casale is a Roman villa built in the first quarter of the 4th century and located about 3 km outside the town of Piazza Armerina, Sicily, southern Italy. Containing the richest, largest and most complex collection of Roman mosaics in the world,it is one of 44 UNESCO World Heritage Sites in Italy. The site was abandoned in the 12th century AD when a landslide covered the villa. The villa was almost entirely forgotten, although some of the tallest parts of the remains were always above ground. The area was cultivated for crops. Early in the 19th century, pieces of mosaics and some columns were found. The first official archaeological excavations were carried out later in that century. The first professional excavations were made 1929. The last major excavations took place in the period 1950-60, after which a cover was built over the mosaics.