(AFP PHOTO / Eliano IMPERATO)
by Ella IDE/Agence France-Presse
The lava may have cooled 2,000 years ago but Pompeii is a hot destination this Valentine’s day with a special opening of the exceptionally preserved House of the Chaste Lovers.
This rich baker’s dwelling, complete with garden, stables, mill and a sumptuous fresco of a tender kiss, stands on via dell’Abbondanza, the once-bustling thoroughfare of this ancient Roman city. It also boasts the grinning skeletons of petrified mules caught in the 79AD eruption of Mount Vesuvius.
Visitors will be able to snatch a rare glimpse this weekend of the 1500-square metre (16,000 square foot) site. After February 14 it will close its doors again for a four-year restoration as part of a multi-million euro Pompeii preservation project.