Pompeii, the street food shop returns to light

(ANSA) - ROME, DECEMBER 26 - Two ducks hanging by the feet, Hungary that seems to be painted in 3D, a dog on a leash with an overgrown insult a homophobic insult. The almost intact environment of a Thermopolium, a food shop to which a refined street food was added, with dishes of all kinds, from snails to a sort of "paella", returns to light in Pompeii. A discovery, anticipates to ANSA the director Osanna, who "returns an incredible photograph of the day of the eruption", and opens up new studies on the life, uses and nutrition of the Pompeians, "It will be a gift from Easter to visitors", announces anticipating the I intend to open it to visitors as soon as possible. While the minister of culture Dario Franceschini applauds: "teamwork which is also a virtuous example for the recovery of the country". The excavation is located in Regio V, at the corner between Vicolo dei Balconi and the viadella Casa delle Nozze d'Argento, where the last consolidation works were carried out. On that occasion, the presence of the Thermopoly had been identified and a first part of the counter had been brought to light with a splendid painting with a mythological theme (A Nereid riding a hippocampus and carrying a zither) in addition to the balcony that adorned the upper floor. The works of the last few weeks have seen the entire richly decorated environment and the vases with the remains of the dishes that the Pompeians used to consume on the street. Local Pompei like these were widespread, but none as preserved. And above all, explains Osanna, the excavations of the past did not manage to recover all the elements on food that emerged in this project, on which a multidisciplinary team of experts worked. The remains of two men and a dog were also found in the room. One of the victims, a man in his 50s, was lying on a bed in the back of the room and may have died crushed by the collapse of the attic. The bones of the other, perhaps a fugitive who had entered in search of food, were instead in a large vase, probably stuck there by 17th-century excavators. (HANDLE).