Recent excavations in the Insula dei Casti Amanti, located in the vibrant central neighborhood of the ancient city of Pompeii, have brought to light a new and fascinating house without an atrium, filled with refined decorations. This discovery offers us a unique opportunity to understand the social and architectural changes Pompeii experienced in the 1st […]
Frescoes
Posted inModern Era
Biagio da Cesena, the Cardinal Caricatured by Michelangelo in the Sistine Chapel for Criticizing Nudity in His Paintings
There are historical figures who have gone down in history more for some inconsequential anecdote than for the significance they had in the context in which they lived. This is what happened with a priest who lived between the 15th and 16th centuries, was the master of ceremonies for Pope Leo X, organized three conclaves […]
Posted inArt
Julius Caesar’s Villa in Baiae: Exceptional Mosaics and Frescoes Painted with Pigments More Expensive Than Gold
During the Roman era, the southern promontory of the Gulf of Baia (in Latin Baiae) was the perfect location for constructing villae maritimae for the Roman elite, who chose to spend their summer residences by the sea, while also cultivating fish and oysters. One of these residences is located today in the military fortress of […]
Posted inAntiquity
Impressive Roman-era wall paintings, discovered at Ashkelon in the 1930s, revealed to the public for the first time
For the first time ever, two ancient vaulted tombs dating back at least 1,700 years, adorned with magnificent murals depicting Greek mythological figures, people, plants, and animals, will be unveiled to the public. This exciting initiative results from a collaboration between the Ashkelon Municipality and the Israel Antiquities Authority to develop and integrate the city’s […]
Posted inArt, Classical Archaeology
Spectacular Frescoes Depicting Scenes Related to the Trojan War Discovered in Pompeii
The archaeological excavation initiated in 2023 in Insula 10 of Regio IX in Pompeii has uncovered two interconnected houses facing Via di Nola, adorned with frescoes in their interiors. Frescoes and mosaics depicting mythological themes related to the Trojan War, such as Paris and Helen, and Apollo and Cassandra, were found within them, framed by […]
Posted inClassical Archaeology
Extraordinary Fresco Depicting the Twins Phrixus and Helle Fleeing with the Golden Fleece Found in Pompeii
During the restoration works of the House of Leda in Pompeii, a fresco appeared depicting the mythological scene of the twins Phrixus and Helle fleeing from their pursuers on the back of the famous golden fleece ram. The scene, showing Phrixus on the ram while his sister is falling into the water, is painted as […]
Posted inAncient Rome, Art
The Aldobrandini Wedding, the Most Famous and Admired Roman Fresco until Pompeii was Discovered
Since the Renaissance, the search for ancient remains, statues, marbles, and any object that could be sold to collectors in Rome was the order of the day. By the early 17th century, it had become a business with almost professional seekers, and as the painter and architect Federico Zuccari wrote, it was they who, in […]
