The remains of the building, with thousands of opus sectile fragments and pieces of the collapsed blue glass paste ceiling, were first unearthed in 1959. For five decades restorers worked at piecing together the marble puzzle.
"The result is splendid. The marbles are alone worth the journey to Rome," Rutelli said.
While the floor features decorations of octagons, circles and star-shaped drawings, the walls are dominated by scenes of animals fighting, flowers and geometrical motifs. Two human figures are also depicted.
"Most likely, one is the young owner of the house," said Maria Stella Arena, the museum's director. "The other, represented with a halo, could be either a classical image of Jesus or a highly esteemed philosopher."
According to Dunbabin, the marbles exhibit unusually fine workmanship, with the individual pieces cut to the precise shape and fitted carefully together.
"This is certainly the most complete example of sectile decoration, on both walls and floor, that we have. Other surviving pieces tend to be smaller, or out of context," said Dunbabin.
