The Villa of the Mysteries, one of the most iconic Roman residences outside Pompeii and world-famous for its extraordinary Second Style Dionysian fresco cycle, continues to reveal secrets that deepen our understanding not only of ancient art, but also of daily life and social dynamics nearly two thousand years ago.
Recent excavations, launched after the demolition of a modern house that loomed over the villa, have finally completed the work once begun by the great superintendent Amedeo Maiuri. These investigations uncovered the villa’s main gateway, together with a space of waiting and interaction that now sheds new light on this masterpiece.
A Story of Excavations and Rediscoveries
The history of the Villa of the Mysteries has always been intertwined with archaeology. Discovered between 1909 and 1910 by a private landowner, Aurelio Item (which is why it was initially called “Villa Item”), the residence was later investigated scientifically under Amedeo Maiuri in 1929–1930.
Maiuri’s work was driven not only by protection and documentation, but also by tourism and, above all, by the need to understand the villa’s broader “context” in order to interpret the Dionysian frescoes. His 1931 publication gave a thorough account, yet part of the villa—especially the eastern façade facing the country road and part of the service quarters—remained unexplored due to a modern house built right on top of it.
In 2023, the demolition of that modern building, which had been illegally expanded over time until it overshadowed the ancient villa, finally allowed the Archaeological Park of Pompeii to resume investigations. After an initial intervention related to clandestine tunnels dug from the basement of the house, a second campaign began in April 2025 to connect the newly cleared area with the villa’s entrance. The ultimate goal: to uncover the service quarter still buried under ash and lapilli.
The Rediscovered Gateway: An Entrance into the Ancient World
Thanks to these efforts, visitors can now admire, for the first time in nearly 2,000 years, the villa’s main gateway. It is a modest doorway crowned by a simple arch, opening eastward onto the Via Superior, a suburban road that once linked Pompeii with the surrounding countryside and the slopes of Mount Vesuvius.
This was not just a ceremonial entrance for wealthy guests. Carts and animals passed through here, carrying grapes and grain from the fields and returning with wine, flour, and other products destined for Pompeii’s markets or its harbors at Oplontis. The gateway is a key element for understanding the villa’s “context,” bridging its inner magnificence with its economic role and the lives of those who worked there.
The Waiting Bench: Voices from the Threshold
One of the most fascinating finds is a masonry bench built along the country road, directly opposite the main entrance. Similar benches have been found in front of large townhouses inside Pompeii, where clients would wait for the morning salutatio—the daily audience with the master of the house—hoping to present requests or secure favors.
Here, too, we can imagine a crowd of visitors: freedmen of modest means, travelers, day laborers seeking employment, even beggars and the homeless.
As they waited, sometimes for hours under the sun or rain, some left their mark on the walls and on the bench itself:
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Painted graffiti: Neat capital letters with decorative strokes spell out “BAS—,” perhaps the start of a name like Bassus. The elegant style suggests it was written by a painter waiting for work or for a meeting.
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Incised dates: A scratched inscription reads “PR NON MA,” possibly short for pridie nonas Martias or Maias (March 6 or May 6), a date memorable for its author, perhaps linked to civic festivities or personal milestones.
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Charcoal writing: The central part of the bench bears the name Habitus, a common cognomen in Pompeii. It may belong to a strong, imposing client—a kind of “serial greeter” who enjoyed leaving his name on the walls of notable houses.
These small inscriptions give us a moving glimpse into the hopes, frustrations, and everyday lives of ordinary people who gravitated around the villa—an evocative contrast with the grandeur of the Dionysian frescoes inside.
Archaeological and Stratigraphic Insights
The latest excavations focused on the villa’s eastern front, where a seven-meter-high embankment had long concealed the service quarter and entrance. Among the findings:
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The Villa’s Architecture: Built around the time of Sulla, about 400 meters north of Porta Ercolano, the villa follows the grid of earlier Samnite roads, showing a carefully planned design.
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The Service Quarter: Excavations uncovered walls and collapsed roofing, with tiles pierced by circular vents—evidence of fire points and working areas.
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The Interiors:
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Room 3, south of the entrance, had windows onto the Via Superior and was buried under pumice from the AD 79 eruption.
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Room 2, a triclinium near the vestibule, preserved a Third Style fresco: an orange lower register and a black middle one with plants and lozenges. The extensive use of black signals high quality and wealth, leading scholars to interpret this as the quarters of the villa’s procurator.
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Room 1 featured Third Style frescoes with a red lower zone and yellow upper zone. Fragments show a winged cupid and a swan on a yellow background, dating to the Claudian era (35–45 AD). Stucco cornice fragments were also found.
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Building Materials: Among stamped tiles was one reading “L. SAGINI,” from the workshop of the Saginii, prominent Pompeian landowners active in tile production from the late Republic to the Augustan age.
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The AD 79 Eruption: Layers of pumice falls and pyroclastic surges were identified, together with collapsed walls, multicolored plaster fragments, limestone blocks, and imprints of wooden beams.
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Water System and Road: A rectangular cistern in opus incertum formed part of the villa’s hydraulic system. The embankment wall along Via Superior had been modified to channel rainwater. The road itself was paved with polygonal lava blocks, sloped for drainage. Missing stones near the entrance hint at ongoing works—perhaps water pipes or scaffolding—at the time of the eruption. A paleosol prepared for cultivation but left unused was also identified.
A Richer Context Than Ever
The new discoveries at the Villa of the Mysteries not only complete the exploration of this famous residence, but also enrich our understanding of its wider context.
They allow us to picture not only the splendor inside its walls, but also the bustle of people outside—their waiting, their hopes, and the small marks they left behind. In this way, the magnificence of Pompeian art is tied to the simple humanity that surrounded it.
These excavations confirm that every masterpiece, like the Dionysian fresco, is complex and layered, demanding ever broader and more nuanced interpretation.
Read the full article in the Pompeii Excavations e-Journal >>