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.