Pompeian snack bar of 2,000 years old reopens Mar 20, 2010
A snack-bar in the Ancient Roman city of Pompeii will be reopened for business on March 21, 2010 after its restoration, ANSA reports. The Thermopolium (snack-bar) of Vetutius Placidus will host 300 people on the occasion of celebrations marking its reopening for visitors. After a 45-minute guided tour, its first visitors will be offered a typical Roman snack.
Prior to the eruption of Vesuvius in AD 79, the snack bar was located right on the main street, the Via dell'Abbondanza. One of the best preserved sites in Pompeii, it has been closed to the public for years in order to protect it from damage. But now that the restoration works are finished, all visitors will soon be able to enter the Thermopolium and get an idea of what a typical Ancient Roman snack-bar was like. There is even a typical, decorated counter at the snack bar, just as in modern cafes and bars. The Thermopolium also had a dining area with couches, for those of its customers who wanted to eat in the relaxing way. This is decorated with a beautiful painting showing the Rape of Europa. There was also an internal garden, viridarium, which featured flowerbeds growing herbs used in the kitchen. You could have a dinner there too.
Cylindrical holes in the bar once contained glass dolia, or jars, which were used to hold food. However, archaeologists working at this site also discovered a large quantity of coins in one of these. They believe the owner left them there in a last-ditch attempt to save his wealth as he fled the city, presumably hoping he might one day return.
The Thermopolium takes its name from electoral graffiti engraved on the outside of the shop and on three amphorae found inside the premises. This inscription is calling on passersby to vote for the candidate Vetutius Placidus.
Back to news
