Brusciano, Italy News/Events: English (11)

Sociologist and Journalist, Head of Press Office in Brusciano, Italy

Brusciano pays homage to the archaeological site of Starza Regina to Somma Vesuviana.

A free instructive visit with the perspicacious guide of Amelia Di Matteo, Rosaria Aliperta, Marianna Coppola, Bianca Piccolo and others among the volunteers of the "Pro Loco Somma" coordinated by the president, Franco Mosca. After about 1200 visits in the first weekend, we should give the public another opportunity: Saturday October 3rd, from hours 16 to 18 and Sunday October 4th, hours 9-13 in the morning and hours 16-18 in the afternoon. On Sunday the President of the City Council of Brusciano has marked on the agenda his visit, together with the Journalist Antonio Castaldo, because "the common history and culture, traditions and customs, with the neighboring Somma, it spurs to the further sharing and promotional engagement of these treasures of mankind and to identify others even to Brusciano."

To Somma Vesuviana, locality Starza della Regina, in the course of farm work during the 30s of last century, rose the walls of a large building dating from the early Imperial Rome, which hosted the lives of ancient inhabitants until the eruption of Vesuvius in 472 A.D. which submerged it almost completely. The attention to the place was led by the pharmacist of somma Vesuviana Alberto Angrisani friend of the Epigraph Matteo Della Corte, director of the excavations of Pompeii. It has been hypothesized that this home was that of the last days of life of the Emperor Octavian Augustus (Rome 63 BC-14 AD Nola.) Tacito (Annales-Liber I-5) says that Tiberius came to Augustus and died at Nola, "spirantem adhuc Augustum apud urbem Nolam an exanimem repperit." In the light of new data and findings, nevertheless this hypothesis is denied. But still the fascination of the ancient site remains.

Since 2002, with permission of the Ministry of Heritage and Cultural activities and with the general supervision of the Archaeological Superintendence of Cultural Heritage of the Provinces of Naples and Caserta, the excavation is being carried out by the University of Tokyo, who should return to light the entire complex, from the current 800 to about 9000 square meters. Japanese archaeologists led by Masanori Aoyagi with the support of Antonio De Simone of the Suor Orsola Benincasa University.

Till now they have been freed from the invasive mass monolithic columns, Corinthian capitals, walls with bas-relief, walls with polychrome stucco, niches and two apses with frescoes. As there are stretches of paved floor and "powdered terracotta,", at this level they insisted in dolia for the oil and cisterns for the wine with a channel of supply. Two statues of Dionysus with a panther cub in her arms and a peplofora, woman in greek attire, are now in Japan where the exhibition "The Legacy of the Roman Empire" in Tokyo was opened September 18 with the President of the Republic, Giorgio Napolitano, on official visit.

To return to our home, Brusciano, the nearby site of Starza Regina di somma mobilizes recollections and reflections, renewed attention and sensitivity to the local archaeological heritage. The sociologist and journalist Antonio Castaldo indicates a site that is extracted from the reading of the study, of 20 years ago, made by Bruscianese Gennario Terracciano, entitled " De Pagi Bruxiani et situ et originibus. In that work, presented of the unforgettable professor Rocco Romano, printed with the Normatipo of Brusciano and published in 1988, on page 55, we read of a testimony, made by a person that is still alive, who recalled that in the 60s during the work on the highway, dall' ipogeo of a sand quarry to Brusciano one was entering a great ancient villa. Everything was then filled with materials to landfill.

Date of this press release 10/2/09

Responsible for this press release: Anthony Castaldo Tel. 081.5218249 e-mails: ufficstampabrusciano@libero.it
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