Pompeii’s grandest ancient residence gets €1.4 million restoration

An ancient residence believed to be the grandest in the Pompeii archaeological site is being restored with a $1.6 million budget (1.4 million euros), entirely covered by a private sponsor, officials announced on Tuesday. Part of it is expected to open to guided groups by Christmas, said officials of the Archaeological Park of Pompeii.House of Marcus Fabius RufusThe house of Marcus Fabius Rufus, modelled after Rome's imperial palaces and buried in the eruption of Mt. Vesuvius that destroyed the famous ancient city in 79 A.D., has been inaccessible to the public since 1980. Originally built on Pompeii's city walls, it features four floors connected by a maze of corridors and staircases. The owner of the abode was believed to be a magistrate or a freedman of the imperial household.Covering over 3,000 square meters, the House of the Faun in Pompeii is one of the largest and most opulent residences unearthed in the ancient city. Its name comes from the bronze House of the Faun statue, a dancing faun, that once stood in the atrium's central pool. The villa had dual atriums, spacious courtyards and formal reception rooms, along with lavish floors, water features and architectural symmetry...