Scavi archeologici di Oplonti in Torre Annunziata

You're standing at the Villa Poppaea in Torre Annunziata, between Naples and Sorrento. First, look down. The villa sits about ten metres below today's street level. That's how deep Vesuvius buried it in the year 79, just like Pompeii and Herculaneum. Now look around. Modern houses stand right on top of the old estate. Nobody knows exactly how big the villa was, because its edges are still hidden under the town.