The House of the Vettii is one of Pompeii’s best-preserved aristocratic houses, owned by two wealthy freedmen brothers — Aulus Vettius Restitutus and Aulus Vettius Conviva. It is famous for its extraordinary mythological frescoes and fully restored garden. The house reopened after major restoration in 2023.
When the House of the Vettii reopened its doors in January 2023 after twelve years of restoration, the reaction from archaeologists and visitors alike was unanimous: these are the finest painted rooms in Pompeii. The frescoes that cover virtually every wall of the triclinium and adjacent rooms are not archaeological fragments — they are complete, vivid, and overwhelming in their density of mythological narrative. The Vettii brothers — successful freedmen who had built a trading fortune — invested their wealth in the most lavish domestic decoration money could buy, and what they commissioned has survived almost perfectly into the 21st century.
Top Tickets
# Entry Ticket with Audio Guide
# Guided Tour with an Archaeologist
# 2-Hour Small Group Tour
Table of Contents
The Frescoes
The Priapus
The entrance to the house contains one of Pompeii’s most famous single images: a painting of Priapus, the god of fertility, weighing his oversized phallus against a bag of gold. Far from being transgressive, this image was a standard ancient talisman against evil and a symbol of prosperity. It served the same protective function as a modern doormat saying ‘Welcome’. The Vettii would have expected guests to smile at its wit as well as understand its meaning.
The Triclinium Frescoes
The large triclinium (dining room) contains the most complete and stunning sequence of mythological paintings in Pompeii. Three large panels in the Fourth Pompeian Style depict:
- Hercules strangling the serpents: The infant Hercules throttles two snakes sent by Juno to kill him, while his parents Amphitryon and Alcmene look on in astonishment.
- Pentheus torn apart by the Maenads: The king of Thebes who refused to honour Dionysus is punished by being torn apart by his own mother and her companions in a Bacchic frenzy.
- Ixion on the wheel: Ixion, condemned for attempted seduction of Hera, is bound to an eternally spinning wheel — watched by Hera herself, Hermes, and Iris.
These are not decorative scenes. Each depicts a mortal who defied or offended a god and suffered the consequences — a coherent theological programme about hubris and divine power, displayed in the room where the Vettii hosted dinner guests.
The Lararium and Peristyle
The house’s
Who Were the Vettii?
Aulus Vettius Restitutus and Aulus Vettius Conviva were freedmen — former slaves who had been manumitted and had subsequently prospered in trade. Their cognomens (surnames) suggest they may have been freed by the same master and adopted his gentilicium (family name). Seals found in the house indicate trading activity, probably in wine or other agricultural products.
The paradox of the House of the Vettii is that its owners were social outsiders — ex-slaves in a status-obsessed society — who used art to assert their cultural credentials with more vigour and expense than most freeborn citizens could manage. The mythological programme of the frescoes signals a man who knows his Ovid and his Virgil and wants his dinner guests to know it too.
The 2023 Restoration
The house was closed to visitors from 2009 to 2023 for an extensive restoration programme. The work included structural consolidation of the walls and ceiling, cleaning and conservation of all the frescoes, replanting of the peristyle garden with historically accurate species, and the return of the original garden sculptures. The result is the best-presented individual house in Pompeii — and one of the most impressive presentations of Roman domestic space anywhere in the world.
Practical Visitor Information
How Long to Allow
Allow 25–35 minutes. The triclinium frescoes alone warrant 15 minutes of careful attention. A guided tour with an archaeologist makes a significant difference here — the mythological programme is dense and rewards explanation.
Is It Always Open?
Since its 2023 reopening the house has been consistently accessible, but it does close periodically for conservation checks. The house operates on timed entry in peak season to control visitor numbers — check the official schedule. Book a skip-the-line ticket to avoid queue delays at the house entrance.
Best Time to Visit
Visit the House of the Vettii first thing after entering at Porta Marina — it is a 10-minute walk from the entrance and the queue at its door builds quickly after 10:00 am. See our full-day Pompeii itinerary for the optimal route.
