The Villa of the Mysteries in Pompeii

The Villa dei Misteri is a suburban villa dating back to the Roman age, it is located a few hundred meters outside the northern walls of the ancient city of Pompeii. Just like the rest of the city, this villa was destroyed by the eruption of Vesuvius in 79 AD. C, in fact, was restored starting from the early 1900s. To date, it is one of the most visited places in the entire archaeological site of Pompeii, above all for the presence of frescoes depicting mystery rites, from which it takes its name. At the time of the catastrophe, it was used as a farm: this is evident from the presence of large kitchens and a rustic neighborhood. A mural that occupies three walls is one of the most extraordinary examples of frescoes in antiquity: it is thought to represent the most important moments of a sacred ceremony linked to the cults in honor of Dionysus. Its erotic character pushed politics to repress these cults, to prohibit the orgiastic ends they entailed. In a mixture of handmaids, naked men and women, this mystery rite is represented in all its spontaneity and is one of the undisputed masterpieces of the entire history of art.