Scavi di Stabia
This archaeological area comprises the remains of Stabiae, the ancient Roman resort town that was destroyed in A.D. 79. in the same eruption that devastated its more famous neighbors, Pompeii and Herculaneum. Little of the town itself has been excavated, but some of the elegant villae di otium (pleasure residences) were uncovered in the 18th century; much of the art that was found is on display in the National Archaeological Museum of Naples. Further excavations in the 1950s uncovered more artifacts that were left in situ. A superb example of an ancient Roman patrician villa, the Villa di Arianna, Via Piana di Varano (from town, take Viale Europa and turn left onto SS 366 toward Gragnano, and then immediately left again onto Via Piana di Varano), takes its name from a painting found inside: a beautiful fresco depicting the mythological Ariadne as she is discovered sleeping by Dyonisius.
Built in a dramatic location, the villa was designed to take maximum advantage of the views over the sea and Mount Faito. Though partly ransacked in the 18th century after its discovery, it retains many of its decorative elements: Particularly lovely are the frescos in the rooms to the left of the summer triclinium (dining room) -- the one of Ariadne described above and another depicting Ganimede taken by an eagle up to Jupiter. Nearby is a room decorated with diagonal stripes of delicately painted tiles although only a few remain; others can be seen in the archaeological museum in Naples. You should also visit Villa di San Marco, Via Passeggiata Archeologica, a patrician villa that is still impressive in spite of damage suffered in the 1980 earthquake. Built in the 1st century B.C. as the residence of a wealthy family, it was enlarged in the 1st century A.D. and became quite palatial, with porticos, halls, and private thermal baths (in three temperatures: calidarium, tepidarium, and frigidarium), all decorated with stucco work, paintings, and frescoes.
Within walking distance is the Grotta di San Biagio (St. Biagio's Grotto), a tufa-stone quarry used in Roman times for the construction of the villas in Stabiae that was transformed into a paleochristian oratory in the 5th to 6th centuries A.D. The first bishops of Stabiae are buried here, making it one of the oldest known Christian burial sites. It is decorated with well-preserved frescoes and paintings that date from the 5th to 6th centuries and from the 9th to 10th centuries; the three frescoes by the entrance are from the 14th century.
This archaeological area comprises the remains of Stabiae, the ancient Roman resort town that was destroyed in A.D. 79. in the same eruption that devastated its more famous neighbors, Pompeii and Herculaneum. Little of the town itself has been excavated, but some of the elegant villae di otium (pleasure residences) were uncovered in the 18th century; much of the art that was found is on display in the National Archaeological Museum of Naples. Further excavations in the 1950s uncovered more artifacts that were left in situ. A superb example of an ancient Roman patrician villa, the Villa di Arianna, Via Piana di Varano (from town, take Viale Europa and turn left onto SS 366 toward Gragnano, and then immediately left again onto Via Piana di Varano), takes its name from a painting found inside: a beautiful fresco depicting the mythological Ariadne as she is discovered sleeping by Dyonisius.
Built in a dramatic location, the villa was designed to take maximum advantage of the views over the sea and Mount Faito. Though partly ransacked in the 18th century after its discovery, it retains many of its decorative elements: Particularly lovely are the frescos in the rooms to the left of the summer triclinium (dining room) -- the one of Ariadne described above and another depicting Ganimede taken by an eagle up to Jupiter. Nearby is a room decorated with diagonal stripes of delicately painted tiles although only a few remain; others can be seen in the archaeological museum in Naples. You should also visit Villa di San Marco, Via Passeggiata Archeologica, a patrician villa that is still impressive in spite of damage suffered in the 1980 earthquake. Built in the 1st century B.C. as the residence of a wealthy family, it was enlarged in the 1st century A.D. and became quite palatial, with porticos, halls, and private thermal baths (in three temperatures: calidarium, tepidarium, and frigidarium), all decorated with stucco work, paintings, and frescoes.
Within walking distance is the Grotta di San Biagio (St. Biagio's Grotto), a tufa-stone quarry used in Roman times for the construction of the villas in Stabiae that was transformed into a paleochristian oratory in the 5th to 6th centuries A.D. The first bishops of Stabiae are buried here, making it one of the oldest known Christian burial sites. It is decorated with well-preserved frescoes and paintings that date from the 5th to 6th centuries and from the 9th to 10th centuries; the three frescoes by the entrance are from the 14th century.
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