At the House of Vettii, the two owners displayed their wealth with sumptuous frescoes and a garden … [+]
A house in Italy’s archeological park of Pompeii has reopened to the public after a 20-year restoration.
The House of Vettii is famed for its opulent interior replete with erotic friezes and frescoes.
The villa was buried in ash during the volcanic eruption that destroyed the ancient city of Pompeii in 79AD.
The structure was rediscovered in an excellent state of preservation in the late 19th century.
Who lived in the House of Vettii?
The Pompeiian house is one of the most fascinating structures unearthed in the ancient city.
It is estimated to have been constructed in the 2nd century BC and is located in what was once a wealthy neighborhood.
The owners of the house, Aulus Vettius Restitutus and Aulus Vettius Conviva, were two former slaves. On being freed, they made their fortune by selling wine.
It was not uncommon for freed slaves to rise up the social ladder in Pompeii. At the House of Vettii, the two owners displayed their wealth with sumptuous frescoes and a garden with statues and a fountain.
‘The Roman world encapsulated in a single house’
The House of Vettii has now been reopened to the public after two decades of complex restoration work.
“It is an epochal reopening that marks the end of a long and troubled history of restoration,” says Director General of Museums, Massimo Osanna.
At the House of Vettii, the two owners displayed their wealth with sumptuous frescoes.
It is set to become one of the most important attractions for visitors to the park this year.
“The House of the Vettii represents the story of the Roman world encapsulated in a single house,” says Gabriel Zuchtriegel, Director of the Archaeological Park of Pompeii.
A house of ‘exceptional’ and erotic art
The lavish interior is famed for its sensual frescoes and friezes. “It contains mythological frescoes and sculptures made of bronze and marble of exceptional artistic quality,” says Zuchtriegel.
One of the most arresting is directly inside the entrance. It depicts Priapus, the god of fertility and abundance, with a huge phallus resting on a scale beside a bag of money.
The image is believed to represent the prosperity of the two former slaves who owned the property.
On the right is the fresco of Priapus, the god of fertility and abundance, with a huge phallus … [+]
One room, thought to have been the dining room, is decorated with a frieze of divine couples, gods and cupids.
A room near the kitchen is adorned with more erotic frescoes – and is thought to have been used as a brothel.
At the official opening of the house, Zuchtriegel urged visitors to make sure it was on their itinerary, calling it “the ‘house/ museum’ of the ‘Roman spirit.’”
