Starting the VeLoCi team's explorations on the sites of the lost cities
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. Explorations and excavations started here since the time of the Bourbons in 1749. However its ‘rediscovery’ was due to the work of Stabia-born professor and archaeologist Libero D'Orsi (1888-1977), who directed an intensive excavation campaign on the Varano hill between 1950 and 1962 that brought back to light the villas of Arianna and San Marco.
The research conducted within the framework of the VeLoCi project, however, indicates that numerous remains and evidence were found as far back as the 16th and 17th centuries. We will update you soon!
The exploration started with a visit to the “Gaetano Filangieri" Public Library and the consultation of an interesting collection of texts related to the history of the city. With the help of director Olimpia Cappelluti and her collaborator Francesco Chiacchio, we identified several bibliographic materials that will be of great help for our investigation.
Moving on to Piazza Papa Giovanni XXII, we visited the 16th-century Palazzo Farnese (currently the Town Hall of Castellammare di Stabia), the Co-Cathedral of Santa Maria Assunta and San Catello, which preserves precious remains of late antique Stabia, and the oratory of the ancient church of San Filippo, which houses the MUDISS - Museo Diocesano Sorrentino-Stabiese. We would like to thank arch. Gerarda Cimmino for the hospitality.
We would also like to thank the city police in Castellammare di Stabia municipal for their help and the many indications provided.
Our visit to the archaeological area of Stabia-Varano (directed by Dr. Silvia Martina Bertesago) was an essential step. This visit included both the Villa of Arianna and the Villa of San Marco, guided by Dr. Alessandro Licata. The visit ended at the Reggia di Quisisana, housing the extraordinary Archaeological Museum of Stabia "Libero D'Orsi" which has been recently reopened with a new layout. We would like to congratulate the director Maria Rispoli and the museum's staff, who engaged with us in several discussions regarding the origin of the objects on display and the creation of the new exhibition layout.
In the following weeks the visits will continue in Oplontis - Torre Annunziata and Boscoreale.
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