Stabiae—the Little-Known Jewel and the New Pompeii?


It was only a few years ago as I stood on a train platform in Naples, that I first heard there was archaeological digging going on at a buried site called Stabiae. I was trying to make sure I was in the right waiting area to go south to Pompeii. I asked a pleasant-looking young woman who spoke English if this was indeed where I should be. When I told her how excited I was about seeing Pompeii again, she mentioned she was working at an ancient Roman site further along the train route called Stabiae. She said they were in the midst of uncovering the ancient city, and that soon it would be open for people to visit.

It seems I should be making plans once again to make my way from Naples south about 30 km to what is now called Castellammare di Stabia, two and a half miles from Pompeii. But to get a glimpse of ancient Stabia’s grandeur ahead of time, there’s a four-year traveling show called “In Stabiano: Exploring the Ancient Seaside Villas of the Roman Elite” touring the U.S., and now at the Chazen Museum of Art in Madison, Wisconsin. Beautiful fresco wall paintings and reliefs with scenes of the gods are the major part of the show that was organized by the Superintendancy of Archaeology of Pompei and the RAS, Restoring Ancient Stabiae Foundation. Visitors will see the first treasures from the site to be shown in the U.S., and more pieces of art are heading to St. Petersburg in Russia. These exhibitions are planned to pave the way toward making the site one of the largest archaeological parks in Europe, and a major tourist attraction.

The paintings and reliefs in the exhibit come from the excavation of several sumptuous sea-view villas owned by Roman nobility in the first centuries BC and AD. In the summer months when the smell of the fetid Tiber River in Rome became intolerable, they moved south to their elegant villas along the coast, making the area the power center of the ancient Roman world for a few months. Here they schemed their politics, enjoyed their fountains and pools, bathed in saunas and indoor baths, and strolled along shaded porticoes that framed their gardens. Stunning artwork graced the interiors including frescoes, mosaics, and statuary.

After the Chazen show, the exhibit will travel to Dallas Museum of Art and the Cummer Museums in Jacksonville FL, but for now, I’ll have to be satisfied with the catalogue ($47.50 + $9.00 shipping), and updates about the excavations from the RAS newsletter and website. http://www.stabiae.org/newsletter/newsletter2.html - one
http://www.lifeinitaly.com/art/stabiae.asp