House of the Vettii

The House of the Vettii is a Roman townhouse (domus) in the excavated remains of Pompeii, southern Italy, preserved by the eruption of Vesuvius in AD 79. It belonged to the Vettii family and is renowned for its rich interior decoration.

The house features an atrium, a peristyle garden and multiple rooms with well-preserved wall paintings executed in the Roman Fourth Style, including mythological and everyday subjects. The layout and decorative program are typical of an affluent urban residence of the late Republic to early Imperial period.

Owned by the freedmen known as the Vettii, the domus was preserved under volcanic ash after AD 79; excavation has revealed its plan and decorative scheme, which have informed understanding of Roman domestic life and painting styles.

The house is located within the archaeological park of Pompeii, accessible to visitors touring the city’s excavated streets and monuments.

• Preservation: A well-preserved Roman domus in the buried city of Pompeii, preserved by the AD 79 eruption of Vesuvius and noted for its extensive wall paintings and peristyle layout.

What to See #

• Peristyle garden: A central peristyle garden that served as the focal open-air courtyard around which the house's rooms were arranged, typical of elite Roman domestic architecture.
• Atrium and frescoed rooms: The atrium and decorated rooms that contain well-preserved wall paintings in the Roman Fourth Style, depicting mythological and domestic scenes.