Romans On The Bay Of Naples

A spectacular villa under Positano sees the light.

- Marco Merola

Once we reach the spot, you The eruption of won’t believe your eyes,” says Mount Vesuvius archaeologist Luciana Jacobelli in A.D.. 79 buried not only the towns of the University of Molise as she of Pompeii and opens a small door to the crypt Herculaneum, but of the church of Santa Maria also a number Assunta in the center of town. It’s very dim inside, of seaside villas and she has to use a flashlight as we make our way. along the Amalfi Coast. Below, a We slowly climb down a series of ladders through fragment of the a forest of iron scaffolding toward what seems to Positano villa’s be the only well-lit area, nearly 30 feet under the vibrant fresco wall church. Jacobelli then leads me into a room and, as painting. promised, frescoes in dazzling green, yellow, red, and blue seem to illuminate the space on their own. We have arrived at the extraordinarily well-preserved remains of a lavish villa marittima, or seaside villa, once a luxurious retreat for the rich of ancient Rome to escape the summer heat and the hustle and bustle of city life in the first centuries B.C. and A.D.