In the summer of 2011, Columbia University, in collaboration with H2CU (Centro Interuniversitario per la Formazione Internazionale) started an archaeological project in ancient Stabiae: The “Advanced Program of Ancient History and Art” (APAHA), a program that is projected to run for five years. During this time, the project will perform stratigraphic excavations in one of the largest and most opulent villas in Campania, the Villa San Marco. This villa, along with Pompeii, Herculaneum, and the rest of Stabiae, was buried by Mount Vesuvius in 79 A.D. In the 18th century, when archaeological interest in the lost Campanian cities began, it was among the earliest structures to be uncovered. Excavated by the Bourbons to extract artefacts and wall paintings, it was then immediately reburied. A program to bring the villa back to light started in the 1950s and continues to the present day, but only with the aim to uncover what the Bourbons had already seen. APAHA is the first program ever to perform stratigraphic excavations in the Stabiae villas, investigating the pre-79 A.D. history of the site.

The project’s goal is to understand the architectural history of the villa, as well as any existing older habitational layers, giving a full archaeological account of the stratigraphy from the eruption of Mt Vesuvius down to virgin soil. The project will also excavate in the street that delineates the northern section of the Villa San Marco with the aim of understanding the interaction between private and public space. Since the street is an extension of the Stabiae city-grid plan, part of the goal of these excavations is also to investigate the connection between the villa and the settlement of Stabiae.