31st May 18 - Oplontis and the Villa Poppea
Villa Poppea was seaside home a rich family in the suburbs of Pompeii. Destroyed in the eruption of Vesuvius in AD 79 and only really rediscovered and excavated in the 1980s. It is a superb example of a Roman Villa - the home of Poppea the 2nd wife of Nero. Famous for its wonderful frescos.
|
On the RHS you can see the depth of the volcanic ash that buried the villa. They believe many other Roman buildings are beneath the modern buildings |
|
|
The walls are covered with these wonderfully colourful frescos. Considering they are 2000 years old they are really impressive, |
|
Perhaps the most famous is of this bird pecking fruit. Indeed many of the frescos are of rural scenes with birds and animals. |
|
Colonnade around the garden |
|
These pots, in a shaft of light, caught my eye |
|
Latrines. There was also a huge swimming pool |
|
Well worth a visit. |