Days ago, exactly on 3 June 2024, the Minister of Culture, Gennaro Sangiulianoyes you are king
headed to the Pompeii Archaeological Park for a visit to the new excavation sites. Accompanied by the director Gabriel Zuchtriegel and by the Park officials, the Minister visited the insula of the Chaste Lovers, recently opened to the public, and the Regio IX from which the excavated environment in the central area of the ancient city comes, painted in blue and interpretable as a Sacrarium .
“Pompeii never ceases to amaze, it is a treasure chest that is still partly unexplored. It is for this reason that we have financed the new excavations and are working to maintain the high quality of the archaeological park”, declared Minister Sangiuliano.
An in-depth analysis of a new environment excavated in the central area of the ancient city, painted in blue and interpretable as a sacrariumor a space dedicated to ritual activities and the conservation of sacred objects. The environment was previewed in the RAI Wonders Special on 27 May, curated and hosted by Alberto Angela.
On a blue background, the walls show female figures flanking the niches in the centre, and depicting, in the lateral ones, the four seasons, the Horaewhile in those on the central wall allegories of agriculture and pastoralism, as indicated by the attributes of the plow and the peduma short stick used by shepherds and hunters.
The blue color found here was rarely witnessed in Pompeian frescoes and was generally present in large environments
decorative commitment.
Already partially explored in the Bourbon era, the excavation revealed objects belonging to the furnishings of the house, temporarily deposited during the construction works extended to the entire complex. Fifteen transport amphorae and a bronze kit consisting of two jugs and two lamps were found in the room. There are also accumulations of building materials, ready to be used in renovations. On the entrance threshold a pile of already consumed oyster shells was found which, once chopped, were probably added 
to mixtures for plasters and mortars.
The room, which measures approximately 8m2, emerged among the structures located in the southern portion of the block, pertaining to a secondary neighborhood of a large domuswhich has so far revealed a spa district still under excavation and a large black frescoed hall overlooking a courtyard, with a staircase leading to the first floor of the complex.
The excavation activity which is affecting insula 10 of Regio IX is part of a broader project to secure the perimeter front between the excavated and non-excavated area, and to improve the hydrogeological structure, aimed at making the protection of the vast Pompeian heritage (more than 13 thousand rooms in 1070 residential units, in addition to public and sacred spaces) more effective and sustainable.
Carlo Franza