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House of the Prince of Naples

Address: Insula 15
Area: 254 square meters
Rooms: 8

The House of the Prince of Naples is located on the west side of the Street of Vicolo dei Vetii. The house has a rather strict and modest facade with some remnants of gypsum in the lower part of the external walls. However, the interior of the House of the Prince of Naples is perfectly preserved. Entire walls have retained their original frescoes, which are quite rare for the mansions of Pompeii.

The entrance and the corridor (a) in the House of Prince of Naples are decorated with frescoes in the fourth style with a black central and lower zone, topped with a white upper zone imitating blocks of stone, outlined with gray and white lines. A corridor leads directly to the atrium-living room (b), which has a central pool and a marble table with richly carved legs. The walls of the main part of the atrium are decorated with frescoes in a simple fourth style, consisting of a black lower zone, a red central zone and a white upper zone imitating blocks of stone. To the north of the entrance is a small room and the remains of a staircase leading to the second floor. To the south of the entrance in the northeast corner of the atrium is a small bedroom (c) for servants. The room is decorated with a white central area, divided into panels by gray lines above the bottom black frieze. The separation of the central zone from the upper zone is an extensive stucco cornice.

In the northwestern corner of the atrium is taken by the kitchen (d), which had its own storage room at its western end. There is a small niche on the northern wall above the hearth and the restroom. The atrium of irregular shape has an extension (e) to the west, which is decorated with frescoes. This area is probably used as a bedroom. It is decorated with frescoes in the fourth style with white panels, separated by architectural motifs above the lower black, decorated with a frieze.