The Oplontis Villa de Poppaea - Home of Nero's Second Wife

Описание: The ancient Villa Poppaea is believed to have belonged to Poppaea Sabina, Emperor Nero's second wife. It was located in the "suburbs" of Pompeii and is the only monument of the ancient Oplontis currently open to visitors.

The villa dates back to the mid-1st century B.C. and was enlarged during the early Imperial Age. In the past, the villa overlooked the sea and offered a panoramic view of the Bay of Naples. It boasts magnificent décor, some exceptional traces of which are still preserved today. When Mt Vesuvius erupted, the villa had probably been mostly empty owing to the work in progress required following damage caused from the earlier earthquake in 62 AD.

The luxurious villa was a massive residence of more than one hundred rooms and thirteen gardens. Much of the villa is still to be excavated and lies buried under modern buildings. Its rooms were organized so that its residents and their guests would be able to enjoy the open air and the dramatic view of the sea in an environment of the utmost luxury.

Poppaea Sabina (AD 30 – 65), also known as Ollia, was a Roman Empress and the second wife of the Emperor Nero. She had also been wife to the future emperor Otho. The historians of antiquity describe her as a beautiful woman who used her beauty, sexuality and other intrigues to become empress. An enigmatic character, she has been portrayed many times in both opera and film.

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