Vesuvian Lost Cities

The Vesuvian Lost Cities before the "Discovery". Sources Experience, Imagery in Early Modern Period.
The VeLoCi research project aims to achieve three objectives: to narratively innovate the state of the art by exploring the symbolic and material dimension of the process of knowledge of the past, of ruins and of cities abandoned after natural disasters, a phenomenon that strongly characterizes the Italian peninsula and in particular its southern regions; to experiment methodologically, retracing a "denied" history through sources to reconstruct the identity of a "lost" landscape; to contribute to the dissemination of a story that will not only have positive repercussions in the academic community, but can also bring benefits to society and public institutions by laying the foundations for more complex conservation strategies aimed at the protection and management of a broad cultural heritage, so as to enhance the identity of these places and promote social inclusion.

Focus 1

The research project aims to explore the process of understanding the cities that disappeared following the eruption of Vesuvius, namely Pompeii, Herculaneum, Oplontis and Stabia, before the start of the official archaeological excavations, which began in 1738, following which the "discovery" of the ancient cities took place.

Focus 2

The research focuses on the modern age and will examine various sources: inscriptions and epigraphs, topographical and cartographic texts, iconographic and cartographic evidence, literary sources, archaeological and architectural remains, archival documents.

Focus 3

VeLoCi aims to insert the story of the cities located in the Vesuvian area into the broader framework of the history of antiquities, implementing critical and interpretative relationships with other similar case studies.
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Discovering Vesuvius with the colleagues of the Storia e Clima research seminar

Fri, Jun 14, 24 News
The VeLoCi research group joins the activities planned as part of the 17th International Storia e Clima Seminar “La percezione del rischio e della catastrofe nei secoli XVI-XVIII: testimonianze, suppliche, racconti, diari, discorsi”, held in Naples between 12 and 14 June.

VeLoCi's on-site inspections continuing: from Boscoreale to Torre Annunziata

Wed, Jun 05, 24 News
After exploring the area of ancient Stabiae, the VeLoCi team moved on to Boscoreale and Torre Annunziata to get an overview of the settlements that had originated in what was once the suburban area of Pompeii, marked by sumptuous villas of leisure and many villae rusticae used for farming.

Starting the VeLoCi team's explorations on the sites of the lost cities

Mon, May 20, 24 News
The VeLoCi project team started the inspections of the cities covered by the research. The first stop has been Castellammare di Stabia, which includes the remains of the ancient Roman Stabiae.

VeLoCi RESEARCH WORKSHOP #1

Wed, Apr 10, 24 News
The first Research Workshop dedicated to the "PRIN 2022 VeLoCi - The Vesuvian Lost Cities before the ‘Discovery’. Sources, Experience, Imagery in Early Modern Period" project will be held in Aversa, on 16 April 2024, from 10am to 6pm.

First explorations at the Archivio di Stato di Napoli

Tue, Mar 26, 24 News
Both units of the VeLoCi project are now beginning the work of identifying and collecting early modern data on the 'buried cities'.

Kick-off day di VeLoCi

Mon, Nov 06, 23 News
On 17 October 2023, PRIN 2022 VeLoCi was officially launched, a research project that we will develop over the next two years, with the funds from the European program Next Generation EU.

Esposizione “The Allure of Rome. Maarten van Heemskerck Draws the City” at the Kupferstichkabinett – Staatliche Museen zu Berlin

Mon, Jun 24, 24 Events
As part of VeLoCi's research activities, the Principal Investigator Giulia Ceriani Sebregondi was in Berlin to study the exhibition "The Allure of Rome. Maarten van Heemskerck Draws the City".

Disegni di viaggio tra storia e progetto

Thu, Jun 20, 24 Events
Universidade de São Paulo, Facultade de Arquitetura e Urbanismo (FAUUSP). 2024 June 24, 2 PM (GMT-3).