THE VILLAS OF STABIAE COUNTRY HOMES FOR ROME’S RICH AND POWERFUL

The Bay of Naples (Neapolis) in the 1st cent. A.D.

In 79 A.D., Vesuvius erupted burying the towns of Pompeii, Herculaneum and Stabiae under metres of lava and volcanic ash

Thos who did not escape in time were killed instantly by the burning gas and the shapes of their bodies preserved by the lava

This is the entrance to the Villa San Marco, the largest of the luxurious villas which have been excavated at Stabia

The entrance to the villa seen from outside

An artist’s impression of how the Peristylium (enclosed garden) of the villa may look after the planned reconstruction is completed

A lararium (shrine to the household gods) with painting of the goddess Athene

A fresco showing Melpomene, the Muse of Tragedy

Primavera di Stabia – a portrait of spring as a goddess gathering flowers, now in the National Museum of Naples.