Torre delle Grotte near Naples

Wilson’s evocative drawing is probably a view of Torregaveta, a craggy outcrop on the Phlegrean peninsula to the east of Naples. Close to Baiae and Cumae and the volcanic lakes of Fusaro and Averno, it lay in the heartland of the classical world. At its summit was the ruin of a villa fortress constructed by the Roman consul Servilius Vatia. The tower of the villa was evidently still prominent when drawn by Wilson, although it was badly damaged during the Second World War, by which time the rock face and its arches were also considerably eroded.