Primus Pilus Posted June 27, 2007 Report Share Posted June 27, 2007 Stabiae's seaside villas will soon be resurrected in one of the largest archaeological projects in Europe since World War II. It was Malibu, New York and Washington, D.C. all rolled into one. Before A.D. 79, when the erupting Mount Vesuvius engulfed it along with Pompeii and Herculaneum, the small port town of Stabiae in southern Italy was the summer resort of choice for some of the Roman Empire's most powerful men. Julius Caesar, the emperors Augustus and Tiberius and the statesman-philosopher Cicero all had homes there.... Smithsonian Magazine Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Maladict Posted June 27, 2007 Report Share Posted June 27, 2007 I hope they know what they're getting themselves into. Villa San Marco and Villa Adriana are both absolutely stunning, and the best part is that there aren't any tourists around. None. So if you happen to be in the neighbourhood, now would be a good time to visit. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pertinax Posted June 27, 2007 Report Share Posted June 27, 2007 Castellammare is a bit of a curate's egg as regards the towns around the Bay of Naples, when you go there it has a feeling of being a plain working town trapped in a magnificent setting.If they can get a tourist trade going , good luck to them , but they will need some hefty infrastructure to make the place "cutesy" enough for tourists.Maladict is right on the nail. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Flavia Gemina Posted June 28, 2007 Report Share Posted June 28, 2007 Pertinax and Maladict are right. It's totally unspoilt, yet not really geared for tourists. I remember about seven years ago I phoned a travel agent and asked for villas in and around Stabiae, where I was planning to set my second book, The Secrets of Vesuvius. There was a long silence on the line and then she replied, 'Most people stay in Sorrento when they want to visit Pompeii, Herculaneum and the villas of Castellammare di Stabia.' My family and I ended up booking a serendipitous villa on the Capo di Sorrento, a stone's-throw from the villa of Pollius Felix, where I ended up setting my third book. But that's another story. When arrived in Naples and took to circumvesuviana to Sorrento and I saw Castellammare di Stabia, I saw why few tourists stay there. The plain at the foot of Vesuvius is actually quite flat and ugly. But just south of Stabia here is a promentory, where the Milky Mountains meet the sea. Once around that promentory (or through the train tunnel) the scenery becomes suddenly stunning, one of the most beautiful settings on earth. That's where most tourists understandably stay. One morning during our stay I walked into Surrento, took the early commuter train to Stabia and got a taxi just finishing the school run to take me up to the Villa San Marco etc... I was the only one there. The grass was thick and wet with dew (it was early October) and eventually the guard came out and asked me to sign the guest book and phoned the guide. No entrance fee. The taxi driver lit up a cigarette, sat back and indicated he would wait for me. A few minutes later a female guide arrived to show me around; she spoke only Italian. The opulent maritime villas are stunning and would have been even more so before AD 79. In particular there are two famous frescoes: one of the girl gathering flowers, with her back to the viewers, and another of Perseus holding aloft the head of Medusa. I was surprised to see how TINY they were, less than a foot high... I told the guide I was writing historical novels and when I'd finished looked at the three or four villas, she took me to meet the Italian archaeologists who were working on the site. It was only 10.00am by now, but like me they had made an early start and they were already having lunch! They shared a kind of spinach sandwich with me (almost forcing me to eat it in their hospitality), then brought out some new wine so red it was almost black and forced me to try some, then plied me with tiny plastic cups of non-plastic espresso! All at 10.00 in the morning! It was one of those wonderful rare experiences only the intrepid -- and usually lone -- traveller has. After that I set off on foot to see how long it would take to walk from Stabia (where Pliny died on the beach) to the shelter of the other side of the promontory. I have my characters do this as the volcano erupts and wanted to see if it was possible. It was. I arrived at Vico Equense tired but happy less than three hours later. But that's another story. Flavia Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pertinax Posted June 28, 2007 Report Share Posted June 28, 2007 ...and the Circumvesuviana is , in my opinion, a very good way to navigate the area (though the ferries from Napoli are most enjoyable if you have a little more time): http://www.answers.com/topic/circumvesuviana I fondly hope a UN UNRV meet might take this train... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Maladict Posted June 28, 2007 Report Share Posted June 28, 2007 ...and the Circumvesuviana is , in my opinion, a very good way to navigate the area Yes, it is. Although I believe the local buses get you closer to the villas (I took one from Torre A. iirc), but I might be mistaken. Either way, it's still a long healthy uphill walk Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Silentium Posted July 2, 2007 Report Share Posted July 2, 2007 I think their priority at the moment is to tackle camorra. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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