In the Eastern Rhodopes, in the place where Roman patricians used to drink wine surrounded by marble columns, these days tourists wear authentic togas and marvel at original mosaics from the 2nd and 3rd centuries. Villa Armira – the only preserved Roman aristocratic residence in the Balkans with marble cladding welcomes tourists after a 4-year restoration, completed in the summer of 2024 under a European project worth nearly 4 million euros.

The villa was built at the beginning of the 2nd century in the style of Roman palaces with a large inner courtyard, surrounded by a covered gallery with colonnades and an outdoor pool. The impressive two-story building spread over a huge area, had numerous bedrooms, reception rooms, a banquet hall, guest rooms, a bathroom, etc. The panoramic terrace offered a magnificent view of the heights of the Rhodope Mountains.

"This villa is the center of a villa estate – a place where the owner came to supervise the work of his subordinates, to welcome guests, to listen to citizens and to solve their problems. Everything found during the excavations shows that the first floor of this house was entirely clad with marble, which makes it unique. These marble decorations are not found in any other Roman province of the empire, which stretched across three continents. Emperors and high magistrates were probably welcomed here. Our mosaics and the restoration of the marble are entirely original – we have no copies," tour guide Magda Raykova says.

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The villa is remarkable for its decoration. Its amazing mosaics spread over 450 square meters of area and are among the most ancient discovered in Bulgarian lands. Some of them have floral and geometric motifs, but there are also some with unknown symbols. "We have not fully deciphered them - they are too complex and diverse," Raykova says. A modern air conditioning systems to protect the artifacts has been installed and the roof of the ancient bathhouse has also been restored. But there is more:

"Outside the villa, in its western part, we have made the second residential and craft complex available for tourists. Half of this part can be seen,” Magda Raykova says. “A new project envisages the restoration of the other half, where there were workshops, the housing of the service staff, etc. In addition, in 5 new pavilions we are showing crafts related to the villa from the beginning of the first millennium – mosaic art, sculpture, wine-making, ironwork and ceramics. In another pavilion one can find organic products – honey, tahini, spelt flour… We have afforested the area with figs, olives and almonds, as it was in ancient times."

Above all this rises a 28-meter observation tower – the new hit among visitors. From it, the entire villa and the green hills of the Eastern Rhodopes can be seen as if in the palm of your hand. But the real experience is in the details:

"Tourists can explore the villa dressed in Roman togas to immerse themselves in the tour guide's story and feel like being part of the lives of the people who lived there. They can take pictures outside and inside the villa. But before that, we offer them to watch a film related to the history of Villa Armira in our interactive hall, where we organize games for the children," Magda Raykova says.

For just first four months after its opening, the renovated Villa Armira has welcomed a record 101,627 tourists, becoming a real tourist hit in the Eastern Rhodopes. "People come from France, UK, even America. Individual visits predominate but people are very impressed by what they see," Magda Raykova says.

Author: Veneta Nikolova

Publication in English: Alexander Markov

Photos: Veneta Nikolova, vila-armira.com