The Roman Villa of Casignana, located in the Palazzi area of the municipality of Casignana (RC), is one of the most significant archaeological sites from the Roman era in Calabria. Discovered in 1963 during the construction of an aqueduct, the villa dates back to the 1st century AD and underwent significant renovation in the 4th century. It was subsequently abandoned in the 5th century but shows signs of activity until the 7th century.
The villa extends on both sides of the modern SS106 Ionica road, probably near the ancient road that connected Locri Epizefiri to Rhegion (Reggio Calabria). It includes a large private bath complex, accessible through a portico and richly decorated with mosaics. Among these is the famous figurative mosaic of the frigidarium, known as the "Nereids' Hall," dating to the 3rd century, which depicts a marine thiasos with four female figures riding a lion, a bull, a horse, and a tiger, all with fish tails. The room has an octagonal shape with four apse-shaped sides and features two cold-water basins. The calidarium, also octagonal, has a hypocaust heating system with terracotta pipes on the walls, and a mosaic floor with small tiles. The complex also includes a rectangular room with a marble slab floor (opus sectile) and a monumental nymphaeum with cisterns.
On the opposite side of the road is the residential part of the villa, with rooms arranged around a large courtyard. Mosaic floors are still visible, such as in the "Four Seasons Hall" and the apse room.
The villa has been the subject of systematic excavations by the Superintendence of Archaeological Heritage of Calabria since the 1980s, and since 1998, the site has been managed by the municipality of Casignana, which acquired the surrounding land with the help of the Eastern Aspromonte Mountain Community, allowing the excavation area to be expanded.