Perhaps not everyone knows the site of Villa Sora in Torre del Greco. The villa is another Roman site that was destroyed by the AD79 eruption, and tunnelled by the Bourbons - the most famous find was a statue of a Satyr currently held in Palermo Archaeological Museum. Some of the best frescoes are being held in the storerooms at Herculaneum (the nearest Soprintendenza facility to the site). The villa dates to the first century AD, and presumed to be imperial property given its size and decorative scheme. It would originally have been a three-storey building, but visits only access the middle floor. Nearby there are also the remains of a bath complex.
Visits can be organised for groups through the wonderful Gruppo Archeologico Vesuviano (GAV) who only charge 3 euros per person. The GAV also offer a tour of the historic buildings of Torre del Greco for 4 euros per person. Fill in this form to book a visit.
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Some of you may be wondering why this statue should be in the Palermo Museum! It would have been taken there in 1799 when Ferdinand, king of the Two Sicilies, was forced to flee to Sicily in face of the Napoleonic advance. Ferdinand took large numbers of archaeological finds from Pompeii and Herculaneum with him - and not many ever came back ...
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