The House and Thermopolium of Vetutius Placidus, facing onto the Via dell'Abbondanza, is one of the best-preserved examples of the Pompeian establishments that sold ready-to-eat food and drink.
The large masonry counter contains several dolia, terracotta vessels set into the structure and used to store foodstuffs. An important painted lararium survives at the rear of the premises: alongside the household Lares appear Mercury, the god associated with trade, and Dionysus-Bacchus, associated with wine.
The establishment was connected to a house behind it. Inscriptions and other finds have allowed the complex to be associated with Lucius Vetutius Placidus and Ascula.
A particularly significant discovery was a hoard of 1,385 coins found inside one of the vessels set into the counter. It provides exceptional evidence for the commercial activity taking place here at the time of the eruption in AD 79.
View this location on the Pompeii Buildings and Places map