Dal museo al sito archeologico: ricostruzione virtuale del Settore della Sosandra alle Terme di Baia (Napoli)

Massimiliano Campi; Marica Camerino; Marika Falcone; Víctor Antonio Lafuente Sánchez; Daniel López Bragado; David Marcos González

doi:10.26375/disegno.18.2026.8

Authors

Massimiliano Campi Department of Architecture, University of Naples Federico II
Marica Camerino Department of Architecture, University of Naples Federico II
Marika Falcone Department of Architecture, University of Naples Federico II https://orcid.org/0000-0002-4879-7608
Víctor Antonio Lafuente Sánchez Department of Urbanism and Representation of Architecture, University of Valladolid https://orcid.org/0000-0002-3543-9035
Daniel López Bragado Department of Urbanism and Representation of Architecture, University of Valladolid https://orcid.org/0000-0001-9487-8057
David Marcos González Department of Urbanism and Representation of Architecture, University of Valladolid https://orcid.org/0000-0002-4323-032X

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.26375/disegno.18.2026.8

Keywords:

Baia, virtual reconstruction, Sosandra sector, Aphrodite Sosandra, digital archaeological heritage

Abstract

The paper presents a virtual reconstruction of the Sosandra Sector within the Archaeological Park of the Baths of Baia, aimed at clarifying its architectural organization and proposing a hypothesis regarding the original placement of the Aphrodite Sosandra statue. Located in the Campi Flegrei area, Baia was one of the most important centres of otium for the Roman elite between the late Republican period and the Early Empire, characterized by a complex architectural layout and the close integration of architecture, landscape, and water features.
The research is based on a 3D survey carried out through dynamic LiDAR scanning, integrated with archaeological and typological analyses and the systematic comparison of coeval structures. The resulting point cloud provided the metric basis for developing a digital model of the sector, organized into four terraces interconnected on both functional and symbolic levels according to a coherent spatial logic. At the same time, the digitalization of the statue, currently housed at the Museo Archeologico Nazionale di Napoli, enabled the testing of different relocation hypotheses within its original context, assessing its visual impact and semantic value within a space likely functioning as a nymphaeum. From this perspective, virtual reconstruction emerges not only as a tool for documentation and critical analysis, but also as an interpretative device capable of restoring the spatial and symbolic complexity of archaeological contexts.

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