Re-discovery

The name Oplontis appears only in the Peutinger Map, a 13th century copy of a road map of the Roman Empire, probably dating back to the Augustan Age.

The map is in the form of a continuous elongated chart, 6.8m x 0.34m, showing the known world from Britain to India.

The land masses appear as horizontal strips. Mountains and rivers are marked, with towns being represented by little groups of buildings.

Oplontis is shown equidistant from Pompeii and Stabiae and about 9km from Herculaneum.

The name most likely refers to the baths in the area of Oncino, but today the name commonly covers the group of villas in the middle of the modern town of Torre Annunziata.

Villa of Poppaea

The villa first came to light during brief excavations carried out by Francesco La Vega in the 18th century.

Between 1839 and 1840 work was recommenced, uncovering part of the peristyle and garden area, but due to lack of funds work was again suspended.

Since 1964, excavations have slowly uncovered the remains of the villa and those of a second, the Villa of L. Crassius Tertius.

The villa is believed to have belonged to Poppaea Sabina, the second wife of the Emperor Nero and dates back to the 1st century B.C.

It had been extended during imperial times and was undergoing restoration work when it was buried in the eruption of 79AD.

Part of the rear of the villa is made up of a number of reception and service rooms which overlook a rectangular pool and an extensive garden.

The frescoes in these rooms are extremely fine and represent imaginary architecture embellished with masks, birds, baskets of flowers and fruit.

A series of rooms off the passageway between the garden and the pool are similarly well appointed.

Villa of L. Crassius Tertius

The villa dates from the 2nd century B.C. and was probably connected to the wine trade, as a storeroom containing a large collection of amphorae was found next to the peristyle. The peristyle (right) is from the Villa of Poppaea.

The villa was discovered in 1974, 250m east of the Villa of Poppaea, during the construction of a school. It was named following the finding of a bronze seal bearing the name of the presumed owner. Also found were the bodies of a number of victims of the catastrophe as well as a quantity of coins and jewellery. The rustic building is on two levels arranged around a monumental peristyle with a double order of doric columns.