Pompeii's grandest house gets a $1.6 million restoration funded by private sponsor

MILAN (AP) — An ancient residence believed to be the grandest in the Pompeii archaeological site is being restored with the entire 1.4 million euros ($1.6 million) cost being covered by a private sponsor, officials announced Tuesday.

The house of Marcus Fabius Rufus, modeled after Rome’s imperial palaces and buried in the eruption of Mt. Vesuvio that destroyed the ancient city in 79 A.D., has been inaccessible to the public since 1980. Originally built on Pompeii’s city walls, it features four floors connected by a maze of corridors and staircases.

Part of it is expected to open to guided groups by Christmas, officials for the Archeological Park of Pompeii said.

The renovation is being paid for by a German entrepreneur, Frank Hoefer, who contacted the archaeological park after reading superintendent Gabriel Zuchtriegel’s 2023 book: “Pompeii: The Enchanted City.”

“Restoring the spectacular residence of Marcus Fabius Rufus … is a project I find exciting,” Hoefer said in a release. “I also have the impression that Pompeii is very open to innovative approaches to preservation and public access.”

Zuchtriegel said the goal is to expand such sponsorships.

“This does not mean that from tomorrow on if we had 50 such sponsors we would be able to abolish the entrance ticket, putting it at just a symbolic one-euro price, but it is a perspective towards which we have to work to develop the site,” Zuchtriegel said in a video statement.

Structural work was carried out on the house from 2021-2023, and current renovations are focused on the frescoes, including the famous Venus of Pompeii located in a chapel within the residence. The owner was believed to be a magistrate or a freedman of the imperial household.

Zuchtriegel said work was also being done to make the complex more accessible, and digital technology was being developed to help people grasp the “incredible labyrinth” that makes up the house.

“At times, you feel like you are in a 19th-century palace in Naples, yet this is a Roman house from 2,000 years ago,” Zuchtriegel said.

This undated handout photo provided on Tuesday, Oct. 20, 2026, by the Pompeii Archaeological Park, shows the House of Marcus Fabius Rufus in Pompeii, near Naples, Italy. (Silvia Vacca/ Pompeii Archaeological Park via AP)

This undated handout photo provided on Tuesday, Oct. 20, 2026, by the Pompeii Archaeological Park, shows a mythological frescoinside the House of Marcus Fabius Rufus in Pompeii, near Naples, Italy. (Silvia Vacca/ Pompeii Archaeological Park via AP)

In this undated handout photo provided on Tuesday, Oct. 20, 2026, by the Pompeii Archaeological Park, restorers work inside the House of Marcus Fabius Rufus in Pompeii, near Naples, Italy. (Silvia Vacca/ Pompeii Archaeological Park via AP)

In this undated handout photo provided Tuesday, Oct. 20, 2026, by the Pompeii Archaeological Park, the remains of a victim of the eruption of Mount Vesuvius in A.D. 79 are seen inside the House of Marcus Fabius Rufus in Pompeii, near Naples, Italy. (Silva Vacca/ Pompeii Archaeological Park via AP)

In this undated handout photo provided on Tuesday, Oct. 20, 2026, by the Pompeii Archaeological Park, restorers work inside the House of Marcus Fabius Rufus in Pompeii, near Naples, Italy. (Silvia Vacca/ Pompeii Archaeological Park via AP)

There was the usual strong security presence around the Parc des Princes on Tuesday as Paris Saint-Germain hosted Barcelona in a Champions League showcase against the backdrop of violent unrest across France.

PSG and Barcelona head the standings, though Liverpool or even surprising Stuttgart could end Tuesday on top of the table.

The game in Paris takes place in a very different context to when PSG beat Manchester City 4-2 away last week.

What began in France as protests against school conditions has expanded to include a wide range of other groups and causes. There have been violent clashes, fires and looting.

An emergency meeting with top government officials on Monday confirmed PSG-Barcelona and other soccer matches in European competitions could go ahead after the possibility of calling off games and other big events was discussed.

Serhou Guirassy scored twice but Borussia Dortmund wasted plenty more chances in a 2-1 win over Azerbaijan's Sabah.

It wasn't the sort of convincing victory the German team was hoping for, after last week saw a loss to Bodø/Glimt before a draw at Union Berlin which allowed Bayern Munich to take the Bundesliga top spot off Dortmund.

Pavel Kacor's leaping volley in the 90th minute earned Slavia Prague a 2-2 draw with Fenerbahce, which had been leading 2-0 early on before a defensive blunder by Mattéo Guendouzi let the Czech side back into the game.

Liverpool could go top with a win over Villarreal if PSG and Barcelona draw, or on goal difference if Andoni Iraola's team can rout its Spanish opposition.

Stuttgart has won both of its games but Atletico Madrid will be sterner opposition for the German team.

City aims to get back on track after last week's PSG loss when it faces Greece's AEK Athens, while troubled Napoli seeks a first point against Norway's Bodø/Glimt.

Also, Roma plays Slovan Bratislava and Porto hosts PSV Eindhoven.

See AP’s full soccer coverage here

Fenerbahce players celebrate after their teammate Mason Greenwood scores the second goal against Slavia Praha during the Champions League opening phase soccer match between Fenerbahce and Slavia Praha in Istanbul, Turkey, Tuesday, Oct. 20, 2026. (AP Photo/Emrah Gurel)

Sabah's Ivan Lepinjica, left, jumps for the ball during the Champions League opening phase soccer match between Sabah FK and Borussia Dortmund in Baku, Azerbaijan, Tuesday, Oct. 20, 2026. (AP Photo)

Police officers stand guard outside the stadium ahead of the Champions League opening phase soccer match between Paris Saint-Germain and FC Barcelona in Paris, Tuesday, Oct. 20, 2026. (AP Photo/Teresa Suarez)

Police vehicles are parked outside the stadium ahead of the Champions League opening phase soccer match between Paris Saint-Germain and FC Barcelona in Paris, Tuesday, Oct. 20, 2026. (AP Photo/Teresa Suarez)

A person holds a French national flag during a protest against under-resourced schools in Paris, Thursday, Oct. 8, 2026. (AP Photo/Aurelien Morissard)

Barcelona's Dani Olmo, right, celebrates after scoring during the Spanish La Liga soccer match between Real Betis and Barcelona in Seville, Spain, Saturday, Oct. 17, 2026. (AP Photo/Jose Breton)

PSG's Maghnes Akliouche, center, celebrates after scoring his side's fourth goal during the Champions League opening phase soccer match between Manchester City and Paris Saint-Germain in Manchester, England, Wednesday, Oct. 14, 2026. (AP Photo/Dave Thompson)