Pompeii, the ancient Roman city buried beneath magma and volcanic ash following an eruption of Mount Vesuvius in 79 AD, is now home to six recently-restored homes officially unveiled to the public by the Italian government on Thursday, according to various media outlets.
The restored ruins, which CNN.com reports included bathhouses and mosaic tiles, came as part of a restoration process launched by the local authorities and the European Commission in 2012. As part of the partnership, 150 million Euros were contributed towards restoring buildings at the UNESCO World Heritage near Naples, as well as building a new drainage system.
Buildings that remained following the volcanic eruption provide a glimpse at life during the early days of the Roman Empire, but the website explained that flooding, tourism and neglect resulted in the site’s deterioration over the past few years. Ruins had been decaying and collapsing, CNN said, and some criticized Italy for failing to properly care for the site.
Renovated buildings include the Fullonica di Stephanus
On Thursday, Italian Prime Minister Matteo Renzi officially unveiled the six restored Pompeii domus (houses occupied by the upper class and wealthy freedmen in ancient Rome), NBC News reported. Among the buildings that were repaired were the Fullonica di Stephanus, the Casa di Paquius Proculus and the Casa del Criptoportico.
The Fullonica di Stephanus was one of the more highly anticipated restorations, The Guardian said. This structure was a specially designed laundry that featured large baths used to wash dirty tunics, a basin used to dye fabrics, a press for ironing and even a place to store urine, which was collected from public toilets and used as an ancient stain remover.
A state of emergency was declared at Pompeii in 2008, and just two years later, the House of Gladiators collapsed. In 2012, a Unesco report found that little work had been done to protect or restore the site, and recent years have been marked by union disputes and a lack of maintenance at the historic city, the UK newspaper said.
In announcing the completion of the domus restorations on Thursday, Renzi seemed optimistic, telling reporters, “We made news with the collapses, now we are making news with restoration.” Antonio Irlando, President of Cultural Heritage Observer, explained to the Associated Press that the houses were “of extraordinary importance, because they show a very original and particular cross section of life during ancient Pompeii.”
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