The nearby Roman Villa Sora was a large and sumptuous residence overlooking the sea from its 150m-long frontage, dating from the 1st c. BC, whose excavated remains can be seen today. It was built on multiple levels like the Villa of the Papyri and on the beach below are the remains of a Roman bath complex ("Terme Ginnasi") and quays would have been on the shore. It was embellished in the early imperial period and was being renovated in 79 AD probably after the 62 AD earthquake as shown by the piles of lime in some rooms, unfinished precious "opus sectile" floors made of imported marble and a famous graffito which recorded the cost of the work.