Pompeii unveils reconstructed frescoed banquet hall ceiling, as restoration continues

Published on 24/07/2026 - 17:56 GMT+2

Archaeologists in Pompeii have unveiled the partially reconstructed frescoed ceiling of a banquet hall featuring scenes from Greek mythology.

Pompeii Archaeological Park said on Friday that it had used an innovative technique to reconstruct the ceiling, which is believed to have belonged to a banquet hall on the upper floor of a house with an adjoining bakery.

Experts created a curved support structure to position the fragments in a way that replicates the vault's original shape.

The restoration has so far reconstructed more than a quarter of the original ceiling, while allowing additional sections to be added as more fresco fragments are uncovered and restored, the park said.

The curved vault was presented on Thursday at the end of an international workshop on new discoveries and restoration work at Pompeii.

"Italy is a world leader in archaeological restoration, and Pompeii, with its team of restorers, plays a central role in that effort," Gabriel Zuchtriegel, director of the Pompeii excavations, told the Italian news agency ANSA.

"That is why we are pleased to share the results of our conservation projects with the world, as they also provide opportunities for research and exchange."

The project is part of Pompeii Archaeological Park's 2026 programme focused on Dionysus and builds on recent discoveries at the House of Thiasos in Regio IX, where archaeologists uncovered one of the most significant large-scale frescoes found at the site, depicting a procession dedicated to the Greek god.

Last June, an equid skeleton was uncovered during archaeological excavations in a bakery area of Pompeii's House of the Chaste Lovers complex.

Pompeii was transformed from a thriving Roman city into a landscape buried beneath ash after the eruption of Mount Vesuvius in AD 79.

Today, the UNESCO World Heritage Site is one of Italy's most visited tourist attractions.