Oplontis-Villa Poppea Ancient Roman Villa BetweenPompeii&Herculaneum

If you buy the combo 'Pompeii and Ercolano/Herculaneum' ticket for 18e
this site is also included (along with Boscoreale and Stabia).
This large intact suburban villa shouldn't be missed if you have time,
it's only ~200m from the Torre Annunziata Circumvesuviana Station (other
signs will also I believe read 'Oplontis-Villa of Poppea' at the
station) and very easy to find. It can be seen in an hour if you're in a
rush.
=A0=A0It's the Circumvesuviana Station just before Pompeii Scavi if
you're coming from Naples or just after if coming from Sorrento. It's on
the Naples-Sorrento Line (Herculaneum/Ercolano & Pompeii) and also the
'Naples-Sarno via Poggiomarino' Line (which goes to Herculaneum/Ercolano
but not Pompeii).
=A0=A0The wall paintings are fantastic as is the general overall site.
Exit the Torre Annunziata Circumvesuvana Station and turn Left (the only
choice is either left
or right). In ~70m the street ends in a "T", turn Right, in 40m cross an
intersection and in ~90m the site and entrance will be on the Left
(can't miss it). =A0Between the intersection and the site also on the
left will be an Info office (Oplontis banner & signs again can't miss
it, the man that runs this is very nice & helpful) you might want to
pick-up a guidebook there as there are none at the site nor audioguides.
The guidebook will say 'OPLONTIS The Villa Poppea' which can also be
bought at other sites (Pompeii, Herculaneum, tourist shops, 5.20e).
=A0=A0It's believed that this villa belonged to the glamorous Poppea who
was Nero's mistress who later became his 2nd wife. =A0=A0In 65AD he
kicked the pregnant Poppea in the stomach and she died. By this point
Nero had aleady killed his mother and 1st wife! I've read that Poppea
might have had a role (Nero's ear) in their deaths also. =A0=A0
There are 2 clues to this being Poppea's Villa. 1st an amphora was found
in the villa's latrine with the inscription 'Secundo Poppaeae' meaning
'To Second (slave or freedman) of Poppea'. =A0=A0Also this villa like
Pompeii, Herculaneum and surrounding area was badly damaged in the 62AD
earthquake and was being repaired. But for some reason work had stopped
and was unfinished before the 79AD eruption. No one was living or
working in the house when Vesuvius erupted. Was the restoration halted
after Poppea was murdered in 65AD? Nero only had 4 yrs left in his reign
and was consumed in building his Domus Aurea (Golden House) in Rome.
After Nero's suicide there was a brief civil war and then Vespasian
became Emperor thus ending the 'Julio-Claudian' Line, so the villa if
Nero's property was probably confiscated? There has to be a logical
reason restoration work stopped and this beautiful piece of real estate
was abandoned for years? Besides the beautiful wall paintings, atriums,
fountains, huge outdoor swimming pool etc. There is one small area that
is rather unique.
Go to http://historichouses.simshost.com/page49.htm at the bottom of
the page click-on 'home plan, and notes', then click-on the villa's
floor plan.
See above the "8" and across the corridor in a room there is what looks
like an upside-down U or |_|. That room is the w.c./toilet, see the
short hallway going to the right then to another short hallway going up
& down. The bottom of that hallway exits into that long left-right
hallway between the number 5 and 8 and the top of that short up/down
hall exits outside even though it looks like it is still inside the
villa. That is where you might want to visit.
Your visit will start in the upper left corner entrance and you will
work your way thru the villa. When you get to the *large* outdoor
swimming pool #7 on the rightside of the plan, you will see that long
left/right hallway with stone benchs along the wall. Walk down it and
just before it ends and after the benches there will be a couple of
steps on the right that enters that short up/down hallway mentioned
above.
=A0=A0Go into it and turn left and visit the w.c. The stone basin on the
right is where the 'sponges on a stick' were kept in water. And if you
didn't know , Roman toilets had a bench seat with a hole cutout in it
where they sat but also a U-shaped cutout in the front connected to the
hole they sat on. The sponge-stick was their toilet paper and inserted
in the front, they were rinsed/cleaned in a small water channel at their
feet. This water channel was feed with water from the overflow of the
stone sponge-stick basin. In public w.c.'s the sponge-sticks were kept
in a basin of brine (salt & water).
=A0=A0The seats are gone, probably wooden, in the public w.c. they would
be marble usually.
=A0=A0But what is really unique is a men's urinal in this w.c. behind a
wall. This is something I have never seen or heard of before. Plus it
must be further proof that this villa was owned and commanded over by a
woman .
=A0=A0Ok go back out to the short up/down hall and turn left. On the
left wall is an inscription covered in plexiglass.
This graffiti is in Greek written by Beryllos who was probably a slave
and hoped not to be forgotten. It reads "Mnesthei Beryllos" translated
"Be Beryllos remembered".
=A0=A0The villa was empty though but perhaps he was fleeing and sought
refuge in the villa. And that would be the safest place in the villa,
narrow hall with small rooms nearby all with strong walls=3Dstrong roof.
Roofs collapsed in Pompeii due to the weight of the pumice stones and
ash killing many people.
=A0=A0Also he would have been only a couple of meters from the open
doorway to the outside if the ceiling started to go. And able to watch
the Hell their Gods had unleashed upon them.
No bodies were found at the villa so perhaps he (and his group?,
master, mistress, family?) decided to take their chances in trying to
flee again.
Who knows, maybe he made it!
Regards, Walter



...And Paradise Was Lost...like teardrops in the rain...