Back in business: Pompeii snack bar re-opens... nearly 2000 years after it was destroyed by the eruption of Mt Vesuvius

In AD79 it was Pompeii's most popular hang out, where locals would stop off to meet friends and partake in a snack of baked cheese smothered in honey.

Now, nearly 2000 years after the Italian city was buried under ash and rubble by the devastating eruption of Mount Vesuvius, its favourite snack bar has re-opened.

For the first time the thermopolium, as it is called in Italy, will be open to tourists after having undergone and excavation and restoration process over the past few months.

Open for business: An ancient thermopolium, or snack bar, is to be open to the public 1921 years after it was destroyed by the eruption of Mt Vesuvius

Tomorrow 300 VIPs selected at random will attend an advance opening of the snack bar where they will enjoy a taste of Roman cafe society, including the sweet, calorific treats enjoyed by the all sections of Pompeii society before the city was destroyed.

Pompeii, which is near Naples in the Italian region of Campania, was destroyed, and completely buried, during a catastrophic two-day eruption of the volcano Mount Vesuvius on August 24, 79AD.



The volcano collapsed higher roof-lines and buried Pompeii under many meters of ash and pumice, and it was lost for nearly 1700 years before its accidental rediscovery in 1748.

Since then, its excavation has provided an extraordinarily detailed insight into life during the Roman Empire.

Step back in time: Customers at the snack bar enjoyed treats of baked cheese and honey during ancient Roman times

Restored: The entrance to the snack bar, which features an internal garden and dining room

Visitors to the thermopolium will be taken on a guided tour of Vetutius Placidus's snack bar which features an L-shaped counter and a painting on its back wall depicting Mercury, the god of commerce and Bacchus, the god of wine.



The thermopolium features a cellar, garden and dining area - or triclinium, which was decorated with a painting showing the rape of Europa with Jupiter disgused as a bull.

Excavations suggest the internal garden once featured a pergola, herb garden and grapevines.

The snack bar has been closed for years in order to protect if from further damage. But soon all visitors will be able to venture inside to get a taste of an ancient Roman cafe.

The bar used to face onto a main street, the Via dell'Abbondanza, and all sections of society would call in for a Mediterranean lunch or the famous snack of ricotta cheese and sticky honey.

