An ancient residence believed to be the grandest in the Pompeii archaeological site is being restored with a $1.6 million budget (1.4 million euros), entirely covered by a private sponsor, officials announced on Tuesday.
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officials → believe → Tuesday
Part of it is expected to open to guided groups by Christmas, said officials of the Archaeological Park of Pompeii.
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officials → expect → Pompeii
House of Marcus Fabius Rufus
The house of Marcus Fabius Rufus, modelled after Rome's imperial palaces and buried in the eruption of Mt. Vesuvius that destroyed the famous ancient city in 79 A.D., has been inaccessible to the public since 1980.
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that → model → 1980
Originally built on Pompeii's city walls, it features four floors connected by a maze of corridors and staircases.
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it → build → corridors
The owner of the abode was believed to be a magistrate or a freedman of the imperial household.
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owner → believe → household
Covering over 3,000 square meters, the House of the Faun in Pompeii is one of the largest and most opulent residences unearthed in the ancient city.
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House → cover → city
Its name comes from the bronze House of the Faun statue, a dancing faun, that once stood in the atrium's central pool.
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that → come → pool
The villa had dual atriums, spacious courtyards and formal reception rooms, along with lavish floors, water features and architectural symmetry, pointing to a lifestyle of affluence.
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villa → have → affluence
Depicting the Battle of Issus between Alexander the Great and Persian King Darius III, this mosaic is a celebrated example of ancient craftsmanship.
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mosaic → depict → craftsmanship
Composed of over a million tiny tesserae, it captures dynamic action, lifelike expressions, and intricate detail.
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it → compose → action
While the original mosaic is now displayed at the Naples Archaeological Museum, a detailed replica remains in place, giving visitors the chance to admire this masterpiece where it originally captivated Roman guests.
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it → display → guests
A $1.6 million restoration
The renovation is being paid for by a German entrepreneur, Frank Hoefer, who contacted the Archaeological Park of Pompeii after reading superintendent Gabriel Zuchtriegel's 2023 book "Pompeii: The Enchanted City."
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who → pay → book
“Restoring the spectacular residence of Marcus Fabius Rufus … is a project I find exciting,” Hoefer said in a release, according to NY Post.
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Hoefer → restore → Post
“I also have the impression that Pompeii is very open to innovative approaches to preservation and public access.”
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Pompeii → have → preservation
Zuchtriegel said the goal is to expand such sponsorships.
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goal → say → sponsorships
“This does not mean that from tomorrow on if we had 50 such sponsors we would be able to abolish the entrance ticket, putting it at just a symbolic one-euro price, but it is a perspective towards which we have to work to develop the site
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we → mean → site
,” Zuchtriegel said in a video statement.
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Zuchtriegel → say → statement
Structural work was carried out on the house from 2021-2023, and current renovations are focused on the frescoes, including the famous Venus of Pompeii located in a chapel within the residence.
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renovations → carry → residence
Zuchtriegel said work was also being done to make the complex more accessible, and digital technology was being developed to help people grasp the “incredible labyrinth” that makes up the house.
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that → say → house
“At times, you feel like you are in a 19th-century palace in Naples, yet this is a Roman house from 2,000 years ago,” he said.
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he → feel → Naples
The Aporia
