Oplontis

History and excavations

The town of Oplontis probably developed under where Torre Annunziata stands today. Excavations have revealed buildings particularly on the east and west sides of the town, the eastern one in the immediate vicinity of Villa A and the other almost at its boundary with Torre del Greco. It is thought that in antiquity, as elsewhere (e.g. at Herculaneum and Stabiae), luxury residential villas like Villa A lined the coast, whereas most productive (agricultural) villas were located farther inland.

Among the finds in the western zone, the most important is the Roman bath complex on the sea shore at Oncino (the Terme Nunziante) as a public building of Oplontis. R. Liberatore recorded the archaeology in detail and he identified it as belonging to Lucius Nonius Florus whose name is stamped on the edge of a terracotta basin in the baths, decorated with vegetal forms and galloping horses.

Unfortunately, the construction of the modern baths above them caused their destruction. Later two underground water supply or drainage tunnels belonging to the baths were found.

In addition remains of two residential villas were discovered nearby, one owned by Caius Siculius Caius Filius whose seal was found and from which a fine fresco was retrieved, though many other remains in the area were destroyed and stolen.

The first of the villas, known as Villa A, was discovered in 1593–1600 during the great construction project by Fontana of the Sarno aqueduct to feed the mills at Torre Annunziata, the same aqueduct that was tunnelled through Pompeii where he also found the first remains, but similarly no attempt was made to explore the ruins in Oplontis. This aqueduct still runs through the centre of Villa A. In 1785 the Spanish architect Francesco La Vega explored this area, known as Le Mascatelle, and found beautiful objects and tunnels but soon gave up due to toxic gases.

In 1839–40 excavations in tunnels were restarted by Michele Rusca using La Vega's publications and he discovered for the first time the extent and quality of the building including two peristyles, mosaics and other decorations. He had to stop due to lack of funds. …

Recent research

Since 2006 the Oplontis Project, led by the University of Texas at Austin, has carried out a systematic study of both villas. The project combined traditional excavation with 3D laser scanning and digital modelling to reconstruct the buildings and understand their architectural phases. At Villa A, three main construction periods were identified: a core from the mid-1st century BC, an Augustan expansion that added a private bath suite and aqueduct, and a later phase with a 60-metre swimming pool added after AD 45. The AD 62 Pompeii earthquake caused severe damage, and at the time of the eruption large sections of the villa were still undergoing repair.

At Villa B, the project clarified its role as a distribution centre for wine from the Vesuvian region. The storage capacity was estimated at more than 30,000 litres, and the variety of amphorae suggests both local export and import of wines. The excavations also revealed a sophisticated hydraulic infrastructure beneath the villa. The Oplontis Project’s findings have been published in multiple volumes and online resources, making the site one of the most thoroughly documented suburban settlements in the Vesuvius area.