House of Vettii

Roman houses of the wealthy were made to be luxurious, and their exteriors were not always pleasing. The house of the Vettii is no exception: with its flat monotone outside walls, trapezoidal shape, and small, squat squares for windows, it appears clumsy and ugly to a pedestrian. Yet inside the structure one could walk over exquisite tile mosaics, stroll in beautiful gardens, and be dazzled by colourful frescos depicting stories taken from Roman culture.
The House of the Vettii was introverted, exposing only a few tiny windows to let in small amount of air and light. Wealthy homeowners preferred to ignore the street level noise and turned to the privacy and comfort of their houses. For fresh air and comfort, the residents of Vettii turned instead to the peristylium, a large open room in the rear of the house containing a garden surrounded by pillars. The Vettii peristylium contained an elaborate fountain and had beautiful frescoes painted on its walls, but piscinas (fish ponds), ...