MILAN — An ancient residence widely considered the grandest within the Pompeii archaeological site is undergoing restoration, with the full 1.4 million euro ($1.6 million) cost covered by a private sponsor, officials announced on Tuesday.
The House of Marcus Fabius Rufus, designed in the style of Rome’s imperial palaces and buried by the eruption of Mount Vesuvius in 79 A.D., has remained closed to the public since 1980. Originally constructed along Pompeii’s city walls, the property spans four floors linked by a complex network of corridors and staircases.
Officials at the Archaeological Park of Pompeii said part of the residence is expected to welcome guided groups by Christmas.
The renovation is financed by German entrepreneur Frank Hoefer, who reached out to the archaeological park after reading superintendent Gabriel Zuchtriegel’s 2023 book, “Pompeii: The Enchanted City.”
“Restoring the spectacular residence of Marcus Fabius Rufus … is a project I find exciting,” Hoefer said in a statement. “I also get the impression that Pompeii is very receptive to innovative approaches to preservation and public access.”
Zuchtriegel said the objective is to expand these kinds of sponsorships.
“This does not mean that if we had 50 such sponsors starting tomorrow we could eliminate entrance fees and set them at a purely symbolic one euro,” Zuchtriegel said in a video statement. “But it is a direction we must pursue to develop the site.”
Structural work on the house was completed between 2021 and 2023, while current restoration efforts focus on the frescoes, including the renowned Venus of Pompeii housed in a chapel within the residence. The owner is believed to have been a magistrate or a freedman of the imperial household.
Zuchtriegel added that work is also underway to improve accessibility throughout the complex, and digital tools are being developed to help visitors understand the “incredible labyrinth” that defines the house.
“At times, you feel as though you are in a 19th-century palace in Naples, yet this is a Roman house dating back 2,000 years,” Zuchtriegel said.
