A Night at the Villa - The Lost Dwelling

An archaeological site turned into a stage

Some places tell their own story, while others need someone to lend them a voice. The Roman Villa of Lauro, nestled on the border between the municipalities of Lauro and Taurano in the Vallo di Lauro, belongs to the latter: for most of the year, it is a silent archaeological site with its thermal baths and mosaics, but for two summer evenings, it transforms into a true open-air stage. This is where "A Night at the Villa - The Lost Dwelling" takes place, a theatrical narrative journey promoted by the associations Fonte Nova, Pro Lauro, and N'Ata Storia with the patronage of the Municipality of Lauro, in the province of Avellino, Campania.

What is "The Lost Dwelling"?

This is not a guided tour, nor is it a traditional performance with an audience and a curtain. The public, divided into small groups, enters the archaeological area and traverses it following a story written specifically for these spaces: the "lost" villa reveals itself little by little, room after room, through characters, atmospheres, set designs, and musical accompaniment tailored to each environment. Soft lights outline the walls, the mosaics shine once again, and archaeology stops being a mere caption to become an experience.

• Texts and narration by Tilde Schiavone
• Music and sound design by Antonio Ferraro
• Set design and choreography by the N'Ata Storia Association
• Live musical performances by local groups

The history of the Roman Villa of Lauro

The site, brought to light starting from the 1981 excavation campaign conducted by the Archaeological Superintendency of Salerno, Avellino, and Benevento, covers an area of approximately 1,330 square meters, arranged on multiple levels connected by an external staircase. The villa preserves an articulated thermal complex with a frigidarium, tepidarium, calidarium, and laconicum, and a nymphaeum decorated with marble and colored glass paste mosaics: among the most famous scenes are a hunt with a deer chased by a dog, a cupid armed with a spear, and a hare caught in a net.

The construction phases identified range from the late Republican age to the 1st century AD, when a landslide made the dwelling uninhabitable. The central core of the building, according to scholars, is incorporated into the foundations of the nearby Convent of San Giovanni del Palco, which still dominates the plateau today and from which the area is accessed during the event.

A grassroots event

"A Night at the Villa" was born from the initiative of the local community: Fonte Nova, Pro Lauro, and the amateur theater company N'Ata Storia built a format capable of introducing the locals themselves, even before visitors, to a heritage that many had never experienced at night. The success of the first edition in July 2025 convinced the organizers to double the event: the 2026 edition took place over two evenings with a broader structure, always with limited capacity and by reservation.

Part of the Lauro Festival

The event is part of the Lauro Festival, the summer program promoted by the Municipality of Lauro together with local associations and festival committees, which brings to life iconic locations from June to September, such as Palazzo Pignatelli, Castello Lancellotti, San Filippo Neri, and the squares of the historic center. The program alternates concerts, art exhibitions, cultural meetings, and historical re-enactments, including the famous re-enactment of the burning of Castello Lancellotti in 1799, scheduled for late August.

Why it's worth the trip

The Vallo di Lauro is a discreet gateway to Irpinia, close to the border with the province of Naples and a short distance from the Partenio Regional Park. Seeing the ancient Roman villa at night, with the narration overlapping the song of the crickets and music filling the thermal rooms, is a different and more intimate way to experience inland Campania: no crowds, no massive stages, but a story carefully crafted by those who live in the territory all year round. At the end of the tour, in the adjacent square, tastings and social moments complete the evening.