Villa Armira

Villa Armira is a Roman country house near Ivaylovgrad, built in the first century AD and occupied for around three hundred years, and it is the best preserved private Roman residence found in Bulgaria. The reason it matters is the decoration: the floors are laid with mosaics covering nearly a thousand square metres in total, in geometric panels and figured scenes including portraits thought to represent the owner and his children, and the walls were faced with marble panels in a way that was rare outside the imperial centres. The house has a peristyle courtyard with a pool, a bath suite and a hypocaust. It is covered by a modern protective building with walkways over the floors. It sits in the far south-east, well off the usual routes.

What you actually see

• A thousand square metres of mosaic - geometric panels and figured scenes.
• Owner portraits in the floor - the figures thought to be the family.
• Marble wall panelling - facing rare outside the imperial centres.
• The peristyle courtyard and pool - the plan of the house.

When to go

April to October; winter opening is limited. Two hours. It is a long drive from anywhere and the far south-east has few services. Weekdays are quiet.

Honest expectations

It is remote and the drive from Haskovo or Kardzhali is long on slow roads. Opening hours are limited and it closes on some days. Interpretation is largely in Bulgarian. Ivaylovgrad has minimal facilities.

Nearby

Ivaylovgrad is east; the Greek border runs close by.