The archaeological park of Pompeii, located near Naples in southern Italy, announced Tuesday the discovery of a stunning still life depicting a glass of wine and what appears to be a pizza. The fresco, found on the walls of an ancient house in the famous Roman city destroyed by the eruption of Vesuvius in 79, stands out for its remarkable quality.
Although the representation resembles a round pizza, the management of the archaeological park clarified in a statement that it is clearly not a pizza, as it lacks characteristic ingredients such as tomatoes and mozzarella. The “pizza” in the fresco is accompanied by fruits, such as a pomegranate and something similar to dates, as well as spices represented by yellowish and ochre-colored dots. It is placed on an elegant silver tray and surrounded by a glass of red wine, a garland of yellow strawberry trees, pomegranates, and dates.
According to archaeologists, this type of representation, known as “xenia” in Greek antiquity, is inspired by the “hospitality gifts” offered to guests, following a Greek tradition dating back to the period between the 3rd and 1st centuries BC.
The fresco was discovered in the atrium of a house near a bakery, in an area that had already been explored between 1888 and 1891 and where excavation work resumed in January.
Pompeii, Italy’s second-most visited tourist monument after the Colosseum in Rome, covers approximately 22 hectares, of which a third is still buried under the ashes. The Minister of Culture, Gennaro Sangiuliano, stressed that Pompeii continues to surprise with new treasures and its continuing historical relevance.