Pompeii
POMPEI INTRODUCTION
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"Few disasters in the world have provided so much pleasure to later generations." With this phrase, Wolfgang Goethe began documenting his memorable trip to Pompeii in 1787 in his...
STREET OF ABUNDANCE
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Several of Pompeii’s most iconic sites stand along or close to Via dell’Abbondanza: the Fullonica of Stephanus, a large laundry and dye works where fabrics were washed and bleached; the...
STABIANA STREET
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The most evocative stretch of Via Stabiana is the one devoted to the culture of well-being. Here stood two major bath complexes: the Stabian Baths — among the oldest in Pompeii, complete with a...
THERMAE-REGIO VII
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Unfortunately, damage to the water supply caused by the earthquake 17 years earlier and the seismic tremors in the weeks preceding the eruption of Vesuvius had interrupted the flow of water, so the...
TEMPLE OF APOLLO-REGIO VII
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Before the eruption, this magnificent building, built in an elevated position on a pediment, had an imposing double colonnade with columns, decorated by statues of gods such as Artemis, the goddess...
FORUM-REGIO VII
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On a high podium stood the temple of Jupiter into which one entered by climbing a double flight of steps. The portico that preceded the interior was called the 'pronaos' and was very deep, while the...
LUPANARE-REGIO VII
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Just imagine, at most businesses where women, often slaves, worked, it was common for them to prostitute themselves, especially in places where food and drink were served such as popinae, what we...
HOUSE OF TRITTOLEMO-REGIO VII
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Another striking feature is the mosaic floor in the room overlooking the inner courtyard. Its design features perspective cubes, a geometric pattern that creates a surprisingly modern...
HOUSES OF MARCUS RUFUS AND THE GOLDEN BRACELET-REGIO VII
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The most interesting of these villas include that of Marcus Fabius Rufus, a descendant of the gens Fabia, an important patrician Roman family, and that of the Golden Bracelet, named after a precious...
GRAND THEATRE-REGIO VIII
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The tiered area in which the spectators sat, called the cavea, had been carved out of the sides of a hill and was divided by corridors into three distinct zones. Each area was then divided into five...
IMPERIAL VILLA-REGIO VIII
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The history of the building alternates between periods of splendor and decline. In A.D. 62, a violent earthquake struck Pompeii and caused severe damage to the villa. Although restoration work...
HOUSE OF THE TRAGIC POET-REGIO VI
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What you are about to visit is a classic Roman domus, with an elegant atrium, preceded by a short corridor along which open the doors to two workshops connected to the house. Around the atrium are...
HOUSE OF THE FAUN-REGIO VI
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Unlike the more common domus, this one had two atria and two peristyles and was divided into a main reception area for receiving clients and guests, and one reserved for the family.
Already from the...
HOUSE OF VETTII-REGIO VI
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In order to create this large mansion, they had joined two pre-existing ones and created a large garden inside, adorned with statues and fountains, around which the most important rooms opened up....
HOUSE OF THE GILDED CUPIDS-REGIO VI
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The peristyle, however, was more than just a decorative courtyard—it was also a sacred space. On one side stood a lararium, the small shrine devoted to the Lares, the household gods protecting...
VILLA OF THE MYSTERIES- REGIO VI SUBURBIO
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Further inside was the peristyle and then the atrium, around which were the master's rooms, on the ground floor, and those for the servants, on the first floor.
The side of the villa that juts out...
HOUSE OF MENANDER-REGIO I
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The House of Menander is named after a fresco, found inside, depicting a famous playwright who lived around 300 BC, whose name is written on the hem of his robe and on the scroll he holds.
This...
HOUSE OF THE CRYPTOPORTICUS-REGIO I
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One of the main reasons this domus is so remarkable is its decorative program. The walls of the cryptoporticus are painted in the Second Style: a geometric frieze runs along the base, above which...
STEPHANUS’ FULLONICA-REGIO I
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The work of the fullones, or Roman launderers, followed several distinct stages. First, fabrics were soaked in large vats filled with water and urine, the latter rich in ammonia, collected from...
HOUSE OF THE ORCHARD-REGIO I
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The paintings display an extraordinary variety of vegetation and fauna, rendered with such precision that specific plant species can be identified — including lemons, figs, arbutus trees, and...
HOUSE OF THE EPHIBE-REGIO I
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The complex is organized around two atriums — large central courtyards — and a spacious garden. It had three separate entrances opening onto side streets, allowing clear separation...
AMPHITHEATRE-REGIO II
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Precisely because of the great influx of people who also flocked from neighboring towns and cities to attend circus and gladiatorial shows, the building was constructed in a peripheral area of...
HOUSE OF VENUS IN THE SHELL-REGIO II
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D’un point de vue architectural, la demeure suit l’organisation classique d’une domus romaine, tout en présentant quelques particularités. On y accédait par de...
