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   Damecuta-Archaeological park |
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The famous eruption of the Vesuvius Volcano in '79 AD sent a mass
of dust raining down on Capri. This damaged the villa, which may
have been abandonned at that point in time. Irremediable damage was done to the structure of the building by the fortifications built in the early 1800's during the periods of French and English occupation. During the earlier Bourbon period, the habitual sacking of furnishings and decorations had been carried out. Excellently-crafted marble and mosaic statues were recently found. The current state of the villa complex is the result of a series of digs carried out between 1937 and '48 by A. Maiuri, who brought to light the most important section, meaning the ambulatio, a long, panoramic terrace that offers a splended view of the Gulf of Naples from the rocky promontory. At the western end of the loggia are the residential quarters, laid out in a semi-circle with a triclinium looking out on a view of the coast and the sea; at the eastern end - here a cylindrical tower (151 meters above sea level) was built in the middle ages to defend against pirate raids - the ruins uncovered include an alcove with a vestibule and small, panoramic terrace; not far away are two living-room areas. The roman Villa of Gradola (or Gradelle) The name derives from the words "gruptula" or "cryptula" (small cave), or possibly 'gladelle', meaning the stairs for climbing down the mountain to the sea. The remains of Roman structures have led to conjecture over the possible existence of since-demolished connections to the Grotta Azzurra cave below: connections which, according to legend, would have extended all the way to Damecuta. These remains can actually be traced to rural buildings with cellars and cisterns that maintained connections to the landing, which definitely did exist during the Roman age at the cave. A. MAIURI, 1936 The villa occupies the entire ridge, running from edge to edge, and facing out on every side towards the edge of the cliff as does the other cliff-side villa: the one built on Mount Tiberius. The cuts visible in significant sections of the rock demonstrate that here too the Roman builder had to compensate for the irregular surface of the rocky plain, cutting and levelling, filling and compacting, while producing from the uneven lay-out of the land cisterns capable of gathering water... Another feature that makes the Damecuta resemble the Villa Jovis is the loggia of the imperial ambulatio that runs along the edge of the promontory, etherealy jutting out over the abyss, like the deck of a great ship; the sustaining arches can still be seen beneath the earth accumulated from landslides, barely hidden by giant juniper bushes... |
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