A documentation revision included in the project found the first occupation of the area, with at least three housing units, to be between the late 4 th and early 3 rd cent. B.C. It also explained how and when the great domus, with a double atrium and large peristyle dating back to the Augustan Age, developed over the decades. The functions of the domus were completely altered after the earthquake, when the residential functions were replaced by more profitable, utilitarian ones.

In cooperation with both the University of Naples ‘L’Orientale’ and the University of Salerno, the Vesuviana programme in Torre del Greco, Naples, promoted a project to study and enhance the seaside villa known as Villa Sora.

Along with the documentation and survey activities of the archaeological evidence, the stored finds were analysed as well. Particularly important are the analysis of frescoes dating back to a transition phase between the 3 rd and 4 th painting styles, confirming that the villa was richly decorated in the decades before the eruption. This research not only allows a graphic reconstruction to be made, but also permits the restoration of the decorative elements in various rooms of the villa.