Stabiae

Archeological Site of Stabiae   
The origins of the city of Stabiae (today Castellammare di Stabia) date back to the VII century B.C. with the presence of Etrurian, Greek, Samnite and Roman commercial trades. In 89 B.C., the city was destroyed by Silla and, later, completely buried by the eruption of the Vesuvius in 79 A.C. Ancient Roman villas have been discovered on the northern side of the Varano hill. They were treasured by the Roman elite for their panoramic position and the cool sea breeze they afforded in the hot summer months. Two villas, Villa Arianna - which has the largest ancient Roman garden in Italy - and Villa San Marco -are available for visits and tours today. 

 info (+39) 081 8717114 | www.stabiae.org

Herculaneum

Archeological Site of Herculaneum
The legendary City of Herculaneum covered a 20 hectares surface, for a population of around 4000 inhabitants. During the Augustan age many public buildings were added to the city, such as the theatre, the Basilica di M. Nonio Balbo, the aqueduct, the public mountain network and the castella aquarium, the temples of the Sacred Area, the Suburban Thermae, the Central Thermae and the Gymnasium. During the earthquake of 62 A.C., Vespasian financed the restoration of the Basilica and the Magna Mater temple. After the eruption of Vesuvius in 79 B.C., the city was covered by a 20 meters flood of pyroclastic mud, that allowed the perfect preservation of organic materials.

 info (+39) 081 7324311 | www.pompeiisites.org

Oplontis

Archeological Site of Oplontis 
The ancient Oplontis was a residential center that was modified and enlarged many times. It includes villas (A and B) with a traveling station for the change of horses, thermae, a hotel and an area for the storage and exchange of agricultural products (villa B). Today, only the villa A, probably owned by Poppea Sabina, Nero’s second wife, can be visited. The villa, whose first structure dates back to the first century B.C., is one of the most significant examples of the residences of the Roman aristocracy. It includes a Tuscan atrium, many rooms, gardens and thermae. It also boasts one the best examples of the most ancient phase of the II Pompeian style of fresco painting.

 info (+39) 081 8621755

Boscoreale

Antiquarium at Boscoreale   
Boscoreale’s Antiquarium hosts archeological finds from the most important sites of the Vesuvian area (Pompeii, Herculaneum, Oplontis, Stabiae, Terzigno, Boscoreale) through which, the main characteristics of the territory in the Roman period are reconstructed. The visitors path is divided into two rooms: the first hosts the physical characteristics, the flora and fauna of the area and the main human activities during the Roman period, with a specific section dedicated to the various application fields of the vegetable and animal substances found inside the rustic villas. The museum path ends with a visit to the rustic villa in Villa Regina, next to the museum, the only villa entirely excavated and open for visits. 

 info (+39) 081 5368796

Napoli

National Archeological Museum
Considered to be the most important archaeological museum in Italy, the museum has on permanent display the extraordinary Farnese collection, which includes findings of the Vesuvian area from the Ercolanese Museum in Portici (among which are frescoes, sculptures, bronzes, ivories, bones, terracotta, glass windows, vases and mosaics), the collections of the Palatine Museum, created by Carolina Murat, the important numismatic collections of the University of Naples and Carelli, the collection of Etruscan vases Falconet, the Egyptian collection with mummies, mummy-cases, mirrors, vases, the collection of vases and terracotta Gargiulo, the collection from Cuma, the Santangelo collection, with findings coming from southern Italy and the Stevens collection from Cuma.  

 info (+39) 081 292823 | http://marcheo.napolibeniculturali.it

Ercolano

MAV Virtual Archeological Museum
MAV is one of the biggest virtual museums in the world. It spans an area of over 1500 square meters, with the upper floor dedicated to exhibitions, events and services. The most modern technologies are used to allow the visitors to live in the Vesuvian cities, before their destruction after the eruption of the Vesuvius in 79 A.C. A multisensory path narrates the past and unfolds through multimedia installations, footages, screens and oleographic projections, voices, sounds, lights, tactile experiences, tridimensional reconstructions, virtual reality productions, among which a very rare example of CAVE, a tridimensional environment, in which the visitor is completely immersed in the gardens and houses of Pompeii, Stabia and Ercolano.

 info (+39) 081 19806517 | www.museomav.com

Sorrento

Museo Correale di Terranova
Located inside the gentile residence of Correale di Terranova, the museum displays Roman and Medieval findings and art works created from the XVI to the XIX century. The museum path is divided into 23 exhibition rooms. The ground floor hosts the archaeological section and  boasts equipment found in the necropolis of the area and Roman findings, on which are represented the main stages of the principality policy. The medieval section of the museum preserves the plutea and ambons of the IX-XII century, coming from the ancient cathedral. The first floor has on display the art works and objects relevant to the XVI – XVII century, among which are some paintings of Artemisia Gentileschi and Alfonso Rodriguez. The second floor hosts the collections of still life paintings of the Neapolitan school, the landscapes of the Posillipo School and the collection of decorative arts dating XVIII – XIX century.

 info (+39) 081 8781846