House of the Vettii

ruins, Pompeii, Italy

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July 14, 2026

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The House of the Vettii is a well-preserved example of a domus, a private Roman family residence, located in Pompeii. Pompeii itself was an ancient Roman city famously preserved by the eruption of Mount Vesuvius in 79 CE. The domus, unlike multi-family dwellings, was designed for a single family and typically featured an atrium and a peristyle. The House of the Vettii showcases the opulent lifestyle of Pompeii's prosperous merchant class during the Roman period, with rooms decorated in the Fourth Pompeian style. The excavation of Pompeii has provided invaluable insights into Roman domestic architecture and daily life.21

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domus
…typified by that of the House of the Vettii at Pompeii, contained the private living quarters of the family; clustered around its colonnaded court were the oecus (reception room), cubiculai (bedrooms), alae (recesses for private talk), and tricliniai (dining rooms), with different exposures that could be regulated according to the…
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…typified by that of the House of the Vettii at Pompeii, contained the private living quarters of the family; clustered around its colonnaded court were the oecus (reception room), cubiculai (bedrooms), alae (recesses for private talk), and tricliniai (dining rooms), with different exposures that could be regulated according to the…
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Pompeii
Description of the remains
The House of the Vettii is typical of the homes of the prosperous merchant class of the Roman period. Some of its rooms are decorated in the Fourth Pompeian, or Ornamental, style.
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The House of the Vettii is typical of the homes of the prosperous merchant class of the Roman period. Some of its rooms are decorated in the Fourth Pompeian, or Ornamental, style.
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