Tourists in ancient Pompeii have freshly restored marvels to admire, including a merchant’s luxuriously decorated home and a more modest middle-class dwelling.
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| The Casa del Criptoportico [Credit: AFP] |
A business where Pompeii residents brought fabrics to be cared for and a structure with thermal bathing areas are also among the six buildings opened to the public on Thursday after a €105m (£77m) restoration.
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| The Casa di Paquius Proculus [Credit: AP] |
In 2008, the Italian government declared a “state of emergency” at the crumbling site and in 2010 the House of Gladiators collapsed. But a UNESCO report in 2012 found little had been done.
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| The Casa di Paquius Proculus [Credit: AP] |
Pompeii in recent years has been plagued by union disputes, which left tourists locked out, and the collapse of some ruins, with a chronic shortage of funds for maintenance.
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| The courtyard of the Casa del Sacerdos Amandus [Credit: ANSA] |
But the Italian prime minister, Matteo Renzi, expressed optimism at the unveiling of restored ruins in the city destroyed in AD79 by a volcanic eruption. He said: “We made news with the collapses, now we are making news with restoration.”
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| Tourists at the Fullonica di Stephanus [Credit: AFP] |
Well-preserved mosaic tiles and vividly hued frescoes are in the restored sites at the sprawling ruins near Naples.
One of the most eagerly anticipated restorations is of the Fullonica di Stephanus, a specially designed laundry equipped with large baths for rinsing dirty tunics and basins for dyeing fabrics. There was a press for ironing and a place to store urine, which was collected in public toilets and used to get out tough stains. Clothes would be trampled by workers in tubs at the back of the premises.
Source: Associated Press [December 25, 2015]
