The ensemble of
Villa d’Elboeuf
and
Bagni della Regina
in Portici: a historical-architectural heritage
and landscape to be preserved
The essay intends to provide a contribution on the interesting case of the ensemble of
Villa d’Elboeuf
and
Bagni della Regina, located in Portici along the Vesuvian Coast, as notable testimony of that important
and wide architectural heritage, renowned as the system of ‘Ville vesuviane’. In particular, the eighteenth-century
Villa
is one of the more ancient building arisen in this area in close relation with the archaeological
excavations from Herculaneum and therefore with the consequent process that led, quickly, to the diffusion
of the Enlightenment culture and of neoclassical taste in Europe. The adjacent nineteenth-century
royal bathhouse is also considered among the first bathing establishments realized in Europe.
The study
emphasizes how this heritage, with its outstanding historical, architectural and landscape values, to be
recognized as an emblematic site for the origin and European diffusion of modern archaeological culture,
has suffered over time a constant and progressive activity of transformation, becoming in its current state
of considerable decay a sad and significant case of total absence of a culture of preservation.
On these
premises, the present contribution underlines the urgency of the restoration and material conservation of
the ancient structures and of the relevant landscape in which they are inserted.
