House of the Bicentenary
The House of the Bicentenary sits on Herculaneum's main street, the decumanus maximus, and it announces itself accordingly. At roughly 600 square metres, it was one of the largest private residences in the city, and its entrance once had a sliding wooden grill that somehow survived the 79 AD eruption — a detail that still stops people mid-stride.
Inside, the sequence of spaces moves from a marble-pooled atrium into a tablinum decorated with mythological paintings and mosaic floors, then out to a two-sided peristyle colonnade where roses now grow in the garden — planted deliberately, after organic traces of rose plants were found here during 1930s excavations.
💛 What travellers fall for
People who've visited more than once tend to linger longest on the upper floor, where around 700 writing tablets were found, some still carrying traces of text. And in one room up there: two grooves cut into the plaster, crossing at right angles — horizontal and vertical — in what may be the earliest physical evidence of a Christian cross found anywhere in the Roman world.
The story behind House of the Bicentenary
Herculaneum's excavations began in 1738, and two hundred years later, archaeologist Amedeo Maiuri chose this house as the centrepiece of the bicentennial celebrations. His team had spent a decade learning how to peel volcanic rock from fragile ancient structures, and by 1938 they were ready to show what that work could produce. The house — home, in its final years, to Gaius Petronius Stephanus and his wife Calantonia Themis — became their showpiece.
After decades of public access, a leaking roof, drainage failures and rising damp forced the house to close for major conservation work. The Getty Conservation Institute joined the effort in 2011, focusing first on the tablinum. The house reopened in October 2019.
Good to know
Reach it via the Circumvesuviana train to Ercolano Scavi station, a short walk from the site entrance. The Herculaneum ticket (€16 full price) covers the whole archaeological park; the first Sunday of each month is free. Book ahead — daily entry is capped at 20,000 visitors.
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What travellers say about House of the Bicentenary
Absolutely amazing - just opened in Nov 2019 new object in Ercolano - after many years of restauration. The entrance is limited and you need shoe covers to be careful and secure with floor full of masaics and walls with frescoes
The Bicentennial House is supposed to be one of the most sumptuous in Herculaneum... I didn't find it that striking; there are other houses with more visible details (mosaics and frescoes). This house gained notoriety because they found what appeared to be a cross, which is actually a shelf bracket, but we couldn't see it. There are no information panels anywhere, so it's quite disappointing.
The house was discovered by Amadeo Maiuri. It belonged to Gaius Petronius Stephen. The entrance leads directly onto the decumanus maximus. The atrium, with its sloping roof and black and white mosaics, is notable. It is decorated with Fourth Style paintings. To the right of the atrium are several cubicles. At the far end is the tablinum. Beyond the tablinum, a staircase leads from the peristyle to the second floor, possibly used for rentals. On the upper floor, a white stucco panel features the remains of a cross, which would be one of the oldest known Christian symbols. Reopened in October 2019.
Beautiful house on the Herculaneum site, with superb frescoes in red and yellow. The house is spacious, with well-preserved medallions. A nicely restored patio. The house is close to the decumanus maximus and the forum.
The Herculaneum Archaeological Park is magical. A dive into two millennia of history. Each island is a discovery. This is one of the best-preserved houses, a riot of color. Everything is pure wonder!
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