Welcome to Pompeii: What to see in Pompeii (Part 2)

Today, we continue our tour of the ancient town of Pompeii! Our focus will be on three spectacular villas adorned with mosaics and artwork depicting famous mythological scenes. We were astounded by the rich colour of the walls and the majesty of the artwork. My parents especially marveled at the ingenious architecture and how the colour and the scenes on the wall manage to remain so vivid after 2000 years.   

House of Paquius Proculus

This is one of the numerous villas open to the public in Pompeii. The villa lies on the south side of the Via dell'Abbondanza. Its overall shape is rectangular and its floor is covered with the mosaic panels of animals. The first is the atrium located near the entrance, where the villa owner received his friends and clients. The atrium is also where rainwater was collected in a basin called the impluvium, a typical decoration in the Roman villas, to be stored underground. The second is the peristylum, the private part of the villas, consisting of a courtyard surrounded by cubicula (small bedrooms), kitchen or other facilities. There is also a mosaic of a dog with the phases cave canem (beware of the dog) to deter any would-be burglar.

The triclinium (dining room) of the villa contains some very interesting art, including the mosaic paving depicting a comic scene of pygmies fishing on the Nile, in which one of the pygmies is actually having an unpleasant time falling from the boat into the Nile while crocodiles and a hippopotamus wait for him in the water with jaws gaping! 

House of Venus in the Shell *(recommended)

Another villa on the Via dell'Abbondanza. It belonged to D. Lucretii Satrii Valentes, and was being restored when Vesuvius erupted.  The atrium, like any other villas, contains a central impluvium, and has lost much of its fresco decoration. What remains are large plaster remnants which show that it was decorated in red and yellow. Three cubicula (bedrooms) surround the atrium, two of which have lost most of their original decoration, while the third contains framed white panels, a faded mythological scene of Hermes and Dionysus on the south wall, floating figures on the north wall, and two portrait medallions on the east wall.

Again, typical of the Roman villa, the atrium opens directly into the peristyle which encloses the garden. The peristyle is surrounded by oecus (main living room) and a series of cubicula. The peristyle area, the oecus and the cubicula are richly decorated with the following mythological scene, among others: Apollo and Daphne (located in the oecus), Hermaphrodite and Salmacis (located in an oecus or a cubiculum), Leda and the Swan (located in a cubiculum), Atalanta and Meleager (located in a cubiculum).

In addition, on the rear wall of the peristyle are three large frescoes each set on a blue background. The left hand painting is of the god Mars shown standing naked on a plinth while holding a lance and a shield surrounded by foliage teaming with birds. The central painting on the rear wall is the highlight of this villa: the scene of Venus lying in a conch shell with a nymph on her either side. The nymph on the left side is shown riding a dolphin, while the one on the right supports the conch shell.

House of Julia Felix

The villa of Julia Felix is situated on the south side of the Via dell'Abbondanza. It served as the residence of Julia Felix, very wealthy property owner who inherited her money from her family the Julii, who converted it to apartments after an earthquake in 62 AD, a precursor to the disastrous eruption in 79 AD. After the earthquake in 62 AD, it appeared that Julia must have rented out her property to residents of Pompeii who have lost their homes and transformed parts of her villa into public baths, shops, taverns, and apartments. This enabled her to earn extra income and become a prominent property owner, business woman, and public figure in Pompeii.

Typical of a villa of a wealthy Pompeian, the villa was built around a rectangular courtyard into which the main rooms opened, The villa would have an enclosed garden and private water supply. The atrium, like the House of Venus in the Shell, was decorated in reds and yellows along with a frieze depicting everyday life in the forum, although the fresco decoration has long faded. The garden is framed by elegant columns with a long water feature believed to represent the Canopus canal in Egypt.

The art inside the villa includes a series of paintings of life in the Pompeian Forum (market stalls, open-air market, open-air school, beggars receiving alms from a lady. Given that she was descended from Imperial freedmen, this would have no doubt influenced Julia’s choice in the artwork.

At the end of the villa tour, our lovely tour guide led us to a perfect photo spot! A secluded area on a small hill overlooking the ancient town itself! The view was spectacular, and we saw Pompeii appearing in all her glory! Here is us with the glorious Pompeii in the background

Next blog, we explore the rest of Pompeii starting from the Amphitheatre and the Palaestra. 

To be continued in the next blog