The Herculaneum Digs
Villa dei Papiri
Official recognition of Herculaneum dates back to 1709 and is accredited to Emanuele d’Elboeuf di Lorena. This prince who had come from Naples after the Austrian army had beaten the Spanish, laid the foundations for his house in Portici and was out looking for marble to use in its construction. He knew that marble, statues and other objects had been found in the wells in the ground around Resina.
During the course of his excavations, he had the good luck to end up digging into the Theatre and recover a lot of marble slabs, columns and statues. The digs, organised by the prince carried on for five years, but were somewhat haphazard and as he uncovered far more statues than he could ever hope to use, he started to sell them off. Many of the discoveries were given away or went abroad and after the first discoveries were made, Herculaneum suffered its first desecration.
The arrival of Charles of Bourbon soon put a stop to the plundering and he organised planned digs. The practical theory of excavation involved digging tunnels and pits to create a network that measured about 600 metres from North to South and about 450 metres from East to West.
The excavations continued in this way until reaching what was the shoreline of ancient times, public buildings, more temples and lastly, the amazing Villa dei Papiri.
News of the extraordinary discoveries at Herculaneum quickly made the rounds of Europe and it was Winckelmann, the noted German archaeologist who created the most public awareness. His reports and aesthetic comments influenced literature regarding the style and customs of that time and from thence on were termed neo-classical. This marked the beginning of a huge influx of visitors to Vesuvius who were merely the forerunners of the armies of sightseers that followed in the centuries to come. The visitors were particularly interested in the Theatre and the wonderful Villa Papiri. The former seen as the greatest and best-preserved Hrerculanean monument and the Villa seen as a goldmine of works of art.
A fabulous hoard of sculptures was unearthed and the library of the Villa dei Papiri gave up a treasure of papyrus documents. The luxurious villa was over 250 metres long and paralleled the coastline. It was as wide as an Imperial mansion and was noted for the unusual artistic and literary tastes of its owner. The villa had its own art museum and a well-stocked library containing books by a contemporary philosopher: The Epicurean, Philodemus.
The discoveries were the most important cultural event of that century. The whole world was somewhat affected and the finds gave new life to the studies of antiquity and the entire cultural and scientific movement regarding ancient art and civilisation. The excavations uncovered a city frozen in time or better, a city fixed like a photograph in an instant of time. This astounding story of living archaeology is not yet over – there are still many extremely interesting ancient buildings yet to be uncovered.
History, art and culture
Testa di Amazzone
The ancient name of Herculaneum comes from the legendary founding of the city by Hercules who had been captivated by its beauty.
It was probably founded by the Oscans in the 8th century BC and then later governed by Etruscans, Greeks, Samnites and Romans (307 B).
Thanks to its innate natural beauty and mild climate, the city became a favourite residence of Roman nobility who built many splendid homes including the Villa di L. Calpurnio Pisone (Villa of the Papyrus), one of the most beautiful in all of antiquity where circles of European philosophers and writers met. On 24 August in 79 AD, Vesuvius obliterated the town in a matter of hours.
The area remained unpopulated for a long period and people only began to filter back in the first few centuries AD. Records mentioning the hamlet of Resina (or Risìma) are dated around the year 1000. At that time there was a sanctuary dedicated to the Madonna on the Pugliano hills that was the oldest in the Vesuvial area and was the most popular pilgrim destination in all of Campania. The sanctuary was helped by the Holy Roman See on numerous occasions not to mention the donations and bequests made by Neapolitan nobles. In the year 500 there was already a Papal basilica that represented the sole parish of Resina and Portici until 1627.
Villa dei Papiri
The town that had been governed by the Castellania Barons from the year 400 became the subject of territorial squabbles on 13 August 1699.
In 1709 the first traces of the buried city were uncovered although systematic digs were not put in place until 30 years later on the orders of Charles III of Bourbon. He had the Portici royal residence built close to the dig sites. Families of the Partenopean nobility also had wonderful villas and palaces built in the same area. The road that skirted these magnificent buildings was called the “Miglio d’Oro” (Golden Mile) in their honour. Herculaneum, the city of the Golden Mile, was home to the most beautiful and luxurious of these dwellings and included the Villa Campolieto, Villa Aprile and Villa Favorita.
The wonders being uncovered from the Scavi (digs) and the fascination of Vesuvius made the city a goal for scholars, writers and rich tourists who included Vesuvius on their lists of places to see on their Grand Tours of Europe.
Terme
Over various periods of time, the city has been home to numerous, prestigious cultural and artistic foundations. These include the Herculanean Academy, the International School of Architecture founded by A. Maiuri and the “Scuola di Resina” established in the mid 1800’s. This was a well-known Italian artistic movement that included such famous names as Adriano Cecioni, Marco De Gregorio, Francesco De Nittis and Federico Rossano.
In 1969 the city of Resina took the placename of Herculaneum.
The Oplonti Digs
Oplonti
The Oplonti Villas sit on the coast in a bay that offers the most spectacular sunsets and a view of the Rovigliano rocks. Behind them stands Vesuvius and Torre Annunziata.
It was here at the beginning of the 20th century that archaeological tourism first took off.
The harbour offers a natural landfall for visiting the Pompei digs and has seen the ships of kings, princes, industrialists and artists come and go. A city of the sea and springs, Torre Annunziata, also known as the “Marina del Sole” because of its wonderful climate, began to take shape in 1319. It took hold where a Roman map, the Tabula Peutingeriana showed the ancient land of Oplontis, once the site of great villas destroyed by the volcanic eruptions of 79 AD.
Digs at Oplontis began in 1964 and have aroused great interest in the archaeological world ever since. The villa was built in the mid 1st century BC and is attributed to Poppea Sabina, the second wife of the Emperor Nero. The architecture retains the traditional Roman characteristics and blends them with Greek elements. The evenly spaced columns around the building and at the entrance that lead on to the massive garden play an important role is creating a harmonious environment. The garden has a huge swimming pool surrounded by statues. On the interior, the walls are an architectural triumph; they are painted in Style II (architectonic) with erudite representations of games of perspective and nuances of shading. Other examples of naturalistic paintings are also superb (e.g. the renowned wicker basket with figs)
The famed jewels of Oplonti were found in 1974 in another villa.
Nowadays, Torre Annunziata is relying on recovering and developing the numerous abandoned buildings through the “Sistema Museale di Torre Annunziata” project. The first example of the “Archaeological Museum Module One” is set up in the unused train station. A “portal” leads from a permanent exhibition of the jewels of Oplonti to the area of the former Royal Armoury built by Carlo di Borbone in 1753. Numerous archaeological finds from Oplonti are housed here.
History, art and culture
Torre Annunziata sits in a position that is only to be envied. It is between Vesuvius and the sea of the Bay of Naples ringed by the Sorrento coastline with Capri, Ischia, Procida and Naples as its backdrop. Pompei is its next-door neighbour. The connection with Pompei dates back to the times of the Roman Empire when the area was known as Oplontis and was a suburban residential area for the rich and powerful. They built opulent villas along the coast and around the spas, the remains of which can be seen under the present-day Vesuvian thermal springs.
The city of Torre Annuziata is home to the Basilica Pontificia minore where the image Maria SS. della Neve is kept. She is the city’s patron saint and her feast day is celebrated on 22 October (a horse fair is celebrated that same day). On 5 August, the finding of her image is celebrated and local fishermen commemorate the “miraculous” finding in the 14th century just off the Isle of Rovigliano.
The city’s tradition of industry is reflected in the “Royal Armoury” dating back to the 1700’s and its renowned pasta production that has thrived since then.
The shoreline of the “Marina del Sole”, as it is also known, is a splendid sight with its Villa Comunale and Circolo Nautico. A visit to “Villa di Poppea” is highly recommended. It is one of the most interesting Roman villas excavated in all of Italy.
Oplontis was a seaside resort at the foot of Vesuvius on the charming Gulf of Partenope. The inhabitants engaged in fishing, agriculture, hunting and handicrafts.
In its early days, Oplontis was visited by Phoenicians and Greeks that set up thriving businesses. In due course it became almost part of the Roman towns of Nola and Pompei whose inhabitants used the harbour to ship their goods to other Mediterranean countries.
In 79 AD, Vesuvius erupted and buried Ercolano, Pompei, Oplonti and Stabia under a shroud of ash. Life slowly returned with the passing of time but the Barbarian invasions, the fall of the Roman Empire and the long period of the High Middle Ages left this land practically abandoned by the few remaining inhabitants.
In a decree by Carlo d’Angiò on 19 September 1319, four parcels of land were conceded to four knights to build a chapel to the Annunciation of the Virgin Mary. Shortly thereafter, a small community of homes began to spring up around the church and the role of Carlo d’Angio’s royal decree should not be forgotten in the rebirth of Torre Annunziata.
A very important find in the 14th century had a profound effect upon the city’s history. Fishermen from the town found an image of the Madonna in the sea. This happening only served to deepen the devotion to the Virgin Mary already felt by local believers.
In due course, watchtowers or Martello towers were built first by the Orsinis and later by Alagno and Alfonso d’Aragona. Other buildings sprang up around the church and together with the towers made up a sizeable little town that began to become known as the Torre dell’Annunciata.
Towards the end of the 16th century, Count Muzio Tuttavilla had some mills built that increased productivity; he improved wagon tracks and roads between villages and improved the conditions for shipping activities in the harbour. Torre dell’Annunziata thus began to make its mark on Italy and the world with its milling and pasta industry. In 1750, King Carlo di Borbone decided to build a military establishment at Torre dell’Annunciata, with the idea of making the kingdom independent for the supply of munitions and arms. The new establishment was called the Real Fabbrica d’Armi (Royal Armoury).
The mills suffered a small drop in business after the Unification of Italy. Towards 1875, the trend reversed also because the city and its deep harbour allowed even very sizeable vessels to dock, unlike in some other countries, this led to an increase in maritime traffic. The city thus passed from the agricultural stage to the industrial. The mills at that time only ground coarse wheat used in the production of the town’s world famous pasta. As the economy was going from strength to strength, new mills and pasta production plants sprang up with little competition between them. In the early 1900’s, it became the homeland of the “White Art” or the production of pasta (the well-known “Voiello” brand comes from Torre). After the mass destruction of WWII that didn’t spare the mills or pasta plants in Torre, the thriving production went into decline.
Over the last fifty years, tourist development plans have been sacrificed in favour of massive investments in metalwork, food, pharmaceutical, packaging, cement, clothing and paper industries. At present most of these businesses are in difficulty. The splendid “Marina del Sole”, although threatened by pollution from the River Sarno, boasts numerous bathing establishments along the black volcanic sandy beaches side by side with those for the Vesuvian Thermal Springs (baths, mud, steam). The hot springs that were active in Roman times and the remains of the bathing complex of that time can be seen beneath the present-day building.
UNESCO INSCRIPTION
Italy’s map with the city of The Archaeological areas of Pompei, Herculaneum and Torre Annunziata
The Archaeological areas of Pompei, Herculaneum and Torre Annunziata
Id. n. 829 1997 C (iii) (iv) (v)
The Committee decided to inscribe this property on the basis of criteria (iii), (iv) and (v), considering that the impressive remains of the towns of Pompei and Herculaneum and their associated villas, buried by the eruption of Vesuvius in AD 79, provide a complete and vivid picture of society and daily life at a specific moment in the past that is without parallel anywhere in the world.
The Committee asked Italy to submit a progress report in time for the Bureau meeting in June 1998, on the management measures taken at Pompei, with particular reference to experience gained through planned partnerships between the State and private enterprises, as well as information concerning the protection of the environment surrounding the area.
