Insula del Soffitto Dipinto

Panel 23 - Location

This insula (apartment building) occupies the central part of a block of the Hadrianic period (AD 117-138), used for both residential and commercial purposes. It developed on three or four storeys, accessed from outside stairs.

The house was reached from the street through a covered passage; it was arranged around a medianum (central vestibule) lit by tall windows (A), with the rooms opening onto it (B-C).

Panel 23 - Figure 2Painted decoration of the walls of room B Panel 23 - Figure 3Painted decoration of room C

Over time, the insula underwent transformations that involved the creation of small independent apartments.

The painted decorations on the walls and one ceiling, still preserved in two rooms, may date to a renovation in the late 2nd century AD; they reflect the refined taste of the patrons of this period.

Panel 23 - Figure 1Reconstruction drawing of the façade of the insula
(I. Gismondi)

See also:

The area serving the river