A worker picks grapes in the shadow of Mount Vesuvius.
Archeological Park of Pompeii
Italy’s Archeological Park of Pompeii is rich with architecture, art, an abundance of artefacts and even human remains that testify to a once-thriving civilization. But there is one aspect of life in the ancient city — which was devastated by a volcanic eruption in 79 AD — that lives on today. Grapevines still flourish in the Vesuvian area and visitors to the archeological site of Pompeii can witness the annual fall harvest that takes place around the Roman ruins.
In the warm October sunshine, workers pick bunches of black grapes just meters away from Pompeii’s amphitheater — the oldest surviving example in the world. The city lies in an area of fertile volcanic soil with a mild climate and good water sources. It made for ideal grape-growing conditions in Roman times and archeologists have found evidence of at least 150 producers in the Vesuvian region who specialized in viticulture.
Picking grapes in the Foro Boario near the ancient amphitheater.
Archeological Park of Pompeii
Within the city of Pompeii itself, researchers have found secret vineyards hidden behind houses and taverns so that families and innkeepers could produce their own wine in small quantities. Excavations have uncovered carbonized grape seeds and even whole grapes preserved through caramelization during the eruption. The wines they produced have found fame, such as the sweet white Falernian wine. Most ancient wines were red, though, as the production process was simpler.
In the vineyard near Pompeii’s amphitheater, archeologists have unearthed 2,000 vines as well as a room for pressing the grapes and a handful of dolia — large ceramic vases placed underground to allow the wine to ferment. Excavations also revealed several triclinia dotted around the vineyard. These would have offered food and drink, perhaps to spectators heading to watch a gladiator fight in the amphitheater.
Piedirosso and Sciascinoso grapes are used to make the Villa dei Misteri wine.
Archeological Park of Pompeii
This vineyard, known as Foro Boario, has been replanted with modern descendants of ancient grape varieties such as the Piedirosso, a lightly spiced and floral grape and Sciascinoso, an intensely perfumed, fruity grape. In 1994, a nearby winemaker; Mastroberardino, decided to try and recreate an ancient Pompeian wine with these grapes in collaboration with the park’s Applied Research Laboratory. The company used traditional millennia-old Roman techniques to invent the Villa dei Misteri wine.
There are now 15 areas around ancient Pompeii where vineyards are cultivated and used to produce the Villa dei Misteri wine, totaling an area of around one and a half hectares.
Harvesting grapes in the Foro Boario.
Archeological Park of Pompeii
On October 20, Pompeii’s archeological park will celebrate the annual harvest in the Foro Boario and welcome visitors into the vineyard. Onlookers can witness the traditional cutting of the grapes and visit the wine cellar and a triclinium. “Today the Villa dei Misteri wine represents a unique way to tell and make known Pompeii with its culture and its ancient tradition,” the archeological park said in a statement, “and […] at the same time, of defense of the territory, the landscape and the environment.”