Villa San Marco

The main entrance to the villa from the street gives onto a small peristyle providing access to the tablinum and the atrium, round which are four cubicula.

The lower peristyle, containing a 30m long garden and pool, has an alcove at one end decorated with frescoes. At each end of the side porticos are beautifully decorated diaetae where members of the household could take their ease.

This in turn gives access to a small but luxurious private bath suite, the entrance to which is through a small atrium (left) painted with scenes of cupids, renovated in the Claudian era in early fourth style. The complex consists of a caldarium with a large bath, a tepidarium and an outdoor frigidarium.

Villa of the Shepherd

This villa was first excavated in 1754 and subsequently re-buried. The villa gets its name from the statue of a shepherd discovered during the 18th century dig (pictured right).

The most recent excavations in 1967 partially uncovered the villa. After a short examination of the site, the building was again re-buried.

The ground plan of the villa is quite extensive, covering about 18,000 sq.m. Again, as in the case of the Villa San Marco, its layout is not straight forward, being built on two different axes.

The term 'villa' may be inappropriate as the exact purpose of the building is still in doubt. It has been suggested that the complex is actually a health spa due to the odd arrangement of rooms and open spaces and the distinct absence of a conventional floorplan.

The Villa remains buried, but hopefully in the fullness of time future excavations will be able to establish the exact nature of the building.

Villa Arianna

Under the direction of Karl Weber, this villa was 'excavated' between 1757 and 1762, by digging a series of holes and tunnels, before it was completely re-buried again.

It derives its name from a large fresco portraying 'Ariadne abandoned by Theseus' found in the triclinium.

Just across a lane from another villa, the 'second complex', the Villa Arianna has an unconventional layout, due to its continuous development and the sloping nature of the site.

Much of the building is still buried, which makes the original floorplan difficult to interpret. What has been determined, though, is that the villa had basically four main areas:

an atrium with adjoining rooms dating from the late-Republican period; servants quarters and baths; rooms opening off the summer dining room dating from the age of Nero; a large courtyard which was added on during the Flavian period. There was also a long tunnel leading from the entrance under the residential quarters to the shore.

The impressive range of frescoes that existed throughout the villa, two of which are pictured above and right, were matched by the mosaic flooring, which displayed a large variety of black and white motifs. The main rooms of the villa must have had magnificient views of the coastline and the mountains behind.

The 'Second Complex'

This complex, situated across a narrow lane from the Villa Arianna, was first excavated in 1762 and then subsequently re-buried.

Recent excavations, started in 1967, re-exposed part of the peristyle together with a series of rooms, one of which, the oecus, was destroyed by a landslide.

The original building was built around the large peristyle. Like other villas in the area the complex had its own private baths.

In imperial times the villa was enlarged with the addition of several rooms built on a different axis.

Little of the original building's decoration remains, while in the newer section the walls are well preserved, with frescoes in the third style.