Le Memorie del Comandante - Pliny the Beautiful and the Curious in Ancient Art (San Sebastiano al Vesuvio leg)

A Plinian conference at the foot of Mount Vesuvius

Le Memorie del Comandante is a scientific and cultural festival dedicated to Pliny the Elder, author of the Naturalis Historia and commander of the imperial fleet at Misenum, who died in 79 AD while attempting to rescue populations struck by the eruption of Mount Vesuvius. Every year in December, this traveling conference traverses the Plinian sites of Campania, stopping in San Sebastiano al Vesuvio, a municipality within the Metropolitan City of Naples overlooking the very volcano that determined the naturalist's destiny. The festival is coordinated by archaeologist and writer Alessandro Luciano and is part of the program of the National Committee for the Celebrations of the Two Thousand Years since the Birth of Pliny the Elder.

The Vesuvius leg

The San Sebastiano al Vesuvio leg takes place in the Town Hall's Council Chamber, in Piazza Raffaele Capasso, and is traditionally dedicated to the theme of volcanism: the shape of Vesuvius in ancient sources, its iconography through the centuries, and contemporary reflection on living with volcanic risk. It is the moment when the conference returns, quite literally, to the site of the events: the Vesuvian territory is not just a backdrop, but the protagonist of the Plinian narrative.

Alongside scholarly presentations, there are literary and musical moments, readings from the Naturalis Historia, and book launches, in a format that brings non-specialist audiences closer to themes of archaeology, geology, and ancient art history. The municipal administration has frequently stated that hosting the initiative is a way to "let their fellow citizens breathe culture."

A traveling path between the Phlegraean Fields and the Vesuvian area

The San Sebastiano leg is not an isolated event: it is part of a multi-day journey that touches the main Plinian sites in Campania. In recent editions, the program has involved:

• Bacoli, with sessions dedicated to the Gulf of Baia and archaeological research in the Phlegraean area, including underwater sites;
• Naples, between the Sala Lazzaretto of the former Santa Maria della Pace Hospital and the Center for Natural and Physical Science Museums of the Federico II University;
• Torre Annunziata, with guided tours of the Villa of Poppaea in the Oplontis excavations;
• San Sebastiano al Vesuvio, with the concluding session on the volcano and the Vesuvian landscape.

The theme of the 2025 edition

For the fifth edition, the scientific committee chose the theme Pliny, the beautiful and the curious in ancient art: a journey that, starting from the books of the Naturalis Historia dedicated to metals, stones, and painting, explored the birth of art history, Roman realistic portraiture, sculpture, and the flora and fauna depicted in ancient works, up to very current themes such as heritage protection and the fight against art forgery.

Historical re-enactments and outreach

Part of the festival's charm lies in the presence of historical re-enactment groups — such as the Militum Schola and the Gruppo Storico Oplontino — who accompany the sessions with reconstructions of Roman clothing, weapons, and customs. The papers are then published in the Rivista di Studi Pliniani, ensuring scientific continuity for the initiative.

Why attend

For those visiting Campania in December, Le Memorie del Comandante offers a rare opportunity: to come into free contact with ongoing archaeological research in the area, hear directly from the protagonists of the excavations and museums, and do so in places that rarely host public events, such as the Council Chamber of a small Vesuvian town. It is also a way to discover San Sebastiano al Vesuvio outside of mass tourism circuits: a center of the Vesuvian belt that shares with Herculaneum, Pompeii, and Torre Annunziata the same memory of 79 AD and the same daily coexistence with the volcano.