Parco Archeologico di Stabiae

The archaeological remains of Stabiae occupy the Varano hill above Castellammare di Stabia. Large Roman villas, with gardens, baths and painted reception rooms, preserve the character of a luxurious coastal residential landscape buried by Vesuvius in AD 79.

Why it matters

Stabiae offers a different perspective from the urban streets of Pompeii. Its villas reveal the organisation of elite domestic space, where hospitality, leisure, service work and views across the gulf were integrated into extensive architectural complexes.

What to notice

Villa San Marco combines an atrium, porticoed gardens and a bath suite. Villa Arianna takes its name from a mythological painting associated with Ariadne, while the neighbouring Secondo Complesso adds another arrangement of rooms and a peristyle. Painted surfaces, garden spaces and water features show the variety of settings created within these residences.

Context and history

The older town of Stabiae was destroyed by Sulla in 89 BC. The area subsequently developed a prominent villa district before the eruption of AD 79. Bourbon investigations in the eighteenth century explored the villas through tunnels and removed selected works. Twentieth-century excavations exposed substantial parts of the buildings again, allowing their architecture to be studied alongside the recovered decoration.