The remains of a village, Sofiana, ancient Proedium Philosophianum, have been discovered about 6 kilometers south of the Villa Romana of Casale. Excavations hve shown that this ancient Greek community was occupied from the 4th century BCE through Byzantine and Norman periods. A nearby early Christian basilica has also been excavated.
The site was mapped using a Phantom 4 Pro drone. Photographs were processed in Reality Capture. Project was funded by the Hitz Foundation. Work initially completed by the GDH team when they were associated with the University of South Florida in 2017.